The Tallest Tower
by Naisa
Summary: What if, years ago, when Morgana was still a child, she had accidently revealed her power in front of King Uther? Devastated, but unable to bring himself to kill his own ward, he locked her away and told the people she was dead. But such secrets cannot be hidden forever, and soon someone will wonder what's being kept in Camelot's Tallest Tower...AU, Mergana. Complete, sequel up!
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone!_

_This is a story I thought of a few weeks ago, about what might have happened if Morgana's magic was discovered years ago, it's quite AU and has a sort of fairy tale aspect to it._

_It took me a while to post this as I've been so busy with exams and didn't think it was very well written, but now I've found the time I thought, why not, I'll just post it and see what people think :)_

_So, if you'd like to read more of the story please say! This first chapter is sort of a prologue/flashback, I hope it's ok :)_

* * *

Chapter 1

The First Time

She remembered the first time it happened in public, the last time it would happen in public.

She always had a feeling something was wrong with her, there was something different about her. Lighted candles would flicker into darkness without a breeze, people would appear who were in her dreams the night before, and she felt this strange, tingling feeling in her fingers, as if they were filled with power that they were desperate to release.

She didn't tell anyone about these strange happenings though. It might be nothing, everyone her age might feel like this, she just didn't have anyone her age to tell her so, just a little Prince who she just ended up arguing with when the conversation turned too serious. And she couldn't tell anyone, just in case it wasn't normal, just in case it was magic.

Magic. The word struck fear into her heart because she knew what it meant. It meant she was something dangerous, unwanted, evil. She had seen the way the King, her guardian, treated those with magic, and the thought of the same thing happening to her made her blood freeze within her veins. And after years of being told how terrible magic is, she didn't know how to look at herself in the mirror. She was the monster she had been taught to fear. How could she live with that?

Even now, Lady Morgana looks at herself in the mirror and isn't quite sure what she should see. But sometimes she still sees the eyes of a frightened child, on the day everything came to light.

* * *

It was in the middle of a dinner party. That's what made it worse. All those rich people who probably had the same views of magic as the King, Uther. So many witnesses meant there were too many people to just pretend it didn't happen, and not enough to try and defend her against the terrifying King with some sort of excuse.

Everyone thought Morgana was quite a sweet girl at only nine years old. Some would treat her like a child, even though she no longer felt like a child. Fear of who she was and her position in society had chased away her innocence a long time ago. Others would ignore her, but some treated her with more respect, and even sounded pleased to see her.

"And how are you Lady Morgana? I hope we're not boring you with our talk of politics! I hear you're becoming a swift rider on a horse now." Said an elderly looking woman in a fine white, silky dress that matched the colour of her hair. She wasn't trying to bend down to Morgana's height, which always annoyed her, but was just putting on a friendly smile on her face and trying to start an interesting conversation.

"I'm fine thank you my Lady. And yes, I do enjoy riding my horse, it's more interesting than politics," Morgana decided to add, cheekily.

The Lady smiled, "I must agree, although it is a good opportunity to see everyone again, even if the conversation isn't very exciting." She looked up from Morgana to see a young man, possibly her son, trying to catch her attention, she sighed. "Would you excuse me my Lady? I need to talk to someone, I won't take long." She said with another smile and a small bow, before making her way over to her son.

Perhaps if the woman had stayed, if she had kept talking to Morgana, it would have distracted her. Morgana wouldn't have noticed the plates falling from the servant's hands onto the floor, so perhaps she wouldn't have done anything.

But no, when the lady had moved away Morgana could clearly see one of the servants trying to carry a whole armful of plates that he needed to take out of the Great Hall. Everything seemed to go in slow motion when he suddenly lost his grip and the plates slipped out of his hands, tumbling to the floor.

Morgana couldn't help but gasp as she saw what was going to happen, and for some reason cried out "stop!" to the plates, as if somehow they would listen to her and not fall to the floor with a terrible crash.

And that was the worse thing. The plates _did_ listen to her, or something happened, and they stopped in mid air. Frozen in time just as they were slipping out of the servant's fingers.

There was a collected gasp all around, as everyone stopped and stared at the frozen plates. A horrible silence fell.

And then their eyes slowly turned to Morgana. Standing there, as frozen as the plates, staring at them in astonishment, knowing what she had just done but not understanding how.

Morgana managed to break her gaze from the plates and she looked around to see Uther, standing there, watching her, eyes wide with horror but eyebrows creased with anger. She could see the disappointment and despair in his face. His ward has magic.

As soon as she looked away time returned to the plates, and they crashed to the ground. Still the terrible silence continued. Morgana caught sight of the kind woman who had just been talking to her. She looked so sad, as she knew sweet little Morgana will soon be dead for this.

Suddenly the guards, who had been standing by the door just in case anyone troublesome entered, not realising the enemy was already within the castle, stepped forward. They were probably just as shocked as everyone else, but decided to do what they had been told to in this situation, even if it was the King's ward. The guards pulled out their swords and pointed them at Morgana, ready to slay her if she ran, or perhaps they were going to kill her on the spot. There were more gasps within the horrified crowd.

But Morgana was out of control with her magic now, completely out of control. As one of the guards came closer, she started to panic, and one of the plates rose up in the air all by itself, and then flung itself at the guard.

It deflected off the guard's armour easily, but the action caused uproar. People were already buzzing like insects about what they had just seen, trying to work out what had happened, others were shouting at Uther and the guards to do something, a few were even screaming. Some were trying to get away from Morgana, as if they were her next victim.

The guards came closer, swords raised.

"No!" Cried out Uther suddenly. His arm stretched out towards Morgana as if he wanted to protect her, but other than that he didn't move.

At the sound of his voice, the guards stopped, the crowd quietened. Most people were now looking at Uther, who was trying to stay calm.

"Morgana, come here..." he began, but his words sounded too threatening, and Morgana grew scared, thinking about the number of people with magic Uther had condemned to death. She was next.

At that moment, Morgana suddenly found her feet were no longer stuck to the floor, and she made a run for it. Dodging past the surprised soldiers, she made a run for the door.

"Seize her!" Uther cried out, and panic erupted in the room again, but Morgana couldn't see anything, her eyes were focused on the open door to the Great Hall, now unguarded, possibly her only chance to escape.

Someone grabbed onto her sleeve, not violently, but gently, as if they were pulling her back to try and comfort her. Morgana turned to see the young Prince Arthur holding onto her sleeve, a look of complete surprise on his face. He opened his mouth to say something.

Perhaps she could have trusted him, if the surprise on Arthur's was not mixed with fear, and if he wasn't Uther's son.

She pulled herself out of his grip and ran.

* * *

They found her eventually. Deep down Morgana knew they would. She had planned to take her horse and run away, go and live in the woods or travel to a world where maybe no one else would kill her because of who she was. She rushed up to her chamber to pack, but half way through she knew she wouldn't get anywhere. How could she survive in the woods? Where could she go where people didn't judge her? How could she escape the guards? They were already reaching her chambers, coming to kill her.

Overcome with emotion, Morgana collapsed in a heap on her bed and sobbed her heart out.

A gentle yet firm hand suddenly rested on her shoulder. Uther. She hadn't even heard him come in. Morgana froze with horror, waiting to hear what her fate would be.

"Morgana," the King said slowly, she could hear the anger in his voice, but he was suppressing it too. Was this is a good sign, or were there other people in the room and he didn't want to explode with rage in front of them? She couldn't tell, she hadn't looked up from the warm comfort and darkness of her bed. "You've been infected...with a terrible curse." Uther continued. "But I promised your father that I would take care of you, and that's what I'm going to do."

Morgana didn't understand. What did he mean, take care of her? It didn't sound like in a cruel way, as in he would take care of this 'curse' by killing her, and she thought that when you had magic it was your fault, but it didn't sound like Uther was blaming her for anything.

"We're going to put you somewhere safe," he added.

Before Morgana knew it, she was being moved out of her chambers and into the castle's tallest tower in secret. She was kept on being told it was for her own safety, just in case people came after her, but it didn't take long for Morgana to realise that she was being imprisoned. She couldn't leave the room, they locked the door, and she was too high up to escape through a window. Sometimes people came to visit her, but they wouldn't answer any of her desperate questions about what was happening on the outside, and over time she got less visits.

Morgana had been locked off from the rest of the world, and everyone had forgotten about her.

Uther told his people the next week that Morgana had been infected with a terrible curse by a wizard and it had killed her. The whole Kingdom went into mourning for the sweet, quiet little girl while prosecutions for all those rumoured to have magic increased even more, as if Uther was trying to make up for the fact that he couldn't kill his own ward.

But such secrets cannot be hidden forever, and soon someone will question what's in the tallest tower of Camelot's castle, and what really happened to the Lady Morgana.


	2. Chapter 2

_First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story, the fact that you liked it and think this story has potential means a lot to me, I hope I don't disappoint! And thanks too for all those who have followed and favourited this story so far too :) _

_So, here's the next update! It's set about 10 years after chapter 1, and between series 1 and 2 of Merlin. It's not as good as the first chapter, but I hope you like it all the same. Reviews are much appreciated :) thank you!_

* * *

Chapter 2

The Face at the Window

"Come on Merlin, hurry up!"

Merlin rolled his eyes, while almost tripping over a tree root. The Prince didn't seem to appreciate the fact that people move slower when they're _not _on a horse. A sword fell from Merlin's grip and clattered to the ground, he scooped down quickly to pick it up, and saw Arthur glance behind him and tut. The sight made Merlin grin, a few months ago it would have annoyed him, but after working for Arthur for over a year, it was just one of those things he accepted and saw the funny side of. With a huge destiny weighing down on his shoulders and a pompous Prince to constantly serve, he had to find the funny side. Besides, it was only harmless banter, and Arthur was just annoyed because he hadn't managed to catch anything that morning.

Just then the Knights and Arthur on their horses, with Merlin jogging along behind, broke through the last of the trees of the forest that surrounded Camelot, and the castle came into full view.

Even though Merlin had seen it so many times, the grand building emerging, standing over the hills and high above the tiny houses below it, still took his breath away. It reminded him of the first time he came to Camelot, full of wonder and opportunity, an open book ready to be filled with knowledge. Unaware of the dangers this new life would bring.

"What are you day dreaming about Merlin?"

A lot has changed since then.

"Oh, just dreaming of a day when you'll be nice to me," Merlin replied cheekily to the stubborn Arthur, who looked more annoyed at this response.

"Perhaps if you stopped day dreaming and started doing some work, that might just happen." He suggested.

Merlin was tempted to point out to Arthur how bad of a mood he seemed to be in today, but thought better of it.

The countryside faded away as more farms and villages came into view, and before long, they were in the City itself. The market place was filled with people, carts and crammed with stalls selling all manner of things; fruit, meat and every now and then the smell of exotic herbs and spices wafted through the air. Children were running down the street, people at the market stalls were shouting for customers, they whole place was full of life. Arthur and the Knights slowly made their way through the busy market place. People always moved out of their way for them, but seemed to forget about Merlin, who ended up constantly bumping into people, dropping things and having to run to catch up. He liked the market place though, it was so much more busy and active compared to his quiet little home village. There were so many things to hear and smell and see.

As they came into the shadow of the castle, Merlin took a closer look at it. It still looked beautiful and grand, more so now they were closer to it, but there was always something a little more sombre about it, a little ominous.

Something, about the tallest tower of the castle.

Merlin's eyes were always drawn to that tower, its height alone made it stand out from the rest, but there was something else about it, something a little more eerie. It looked older than the rest of the castle, with its cracked walls and a few missing tiles, and always seemed to be in constant shadow. Despite it being the tallest tower, there was only one small window, that showed nothing but darkness.

A shiver ran up Merlin's spine. When he had first come to the castle, he asked many questions about the tower, mainly to Gaius and Arthur, but the response was always the same.

"There's nothing up there, just empty chambers, no one goes there though."

But why? Why did no one go to that part of the castle? What was wrong with it? It made people feel uneasy, but that was because it was so empty. What caused people to abandon it in the first place, and allow it to crumble? Maybe the rooms were damaged beyond repair, maybe they held a bad memory, but those reasons just left more questions.

One time, Merlin was passing two maids who were talking about the tower, their speculations seemed to make the most sense.

"No one goes in there because it's haunted."

Haunted. That would explain why it's so dark and empty and ominous, but haunted by what? And where was the proof if no one had been in there? Not even Merlin had entered the tower, he tried the door once, but it was locked and he decided it was a sign that he shouldn't go any further.

In the end, Merlin stopped asking questions and trying to investigate, as no one seemed to be able to find the answer, and the thoughts about the strange tower were put right to the back of his head. He never truly forgot about it though.

Just then, Merlin's thoughts were brought sharply back to earth at the sound of a cry, and he looked round to see a cart crashing down the street, completely out of control. People ran down the street or tried to dive out the way as it crashed into market stalls, sending food flying, yet still it rolled down the street at breakneck speed. Merlin only just slipped aside to avoid it, and watched open mouthed as it hurtled past him. Arthur had to sharply pull on the reigns of his horse to miss it too, but as soon as the cart past him he immediately swung into action and shouted to his men.

They turned to chase after the cart, hoping to try and stop it before it did any real damage. Merlin quickly ran after them, trying not to lose sight of the cart as he hurriedly tried to think of something to do.

"_Rhoi'r gorau i_!" Merlin hissed under his breath, just as the cart was about to round a corner and head further down the street.

No one noticed Merlin's eyes as they flashed a bright gold, as all of a sudden the cart rammed to a halt.

There was a collected sigh of relief from people all around, and there was a slight hesitation as if to see if the cart would start moving again, before everyone rushed to the scene to try and clear up the mess.

"That was lucky," Merlin caught Arthur saying, as the Prince got off his horse and helped the people try and move the cart off the road. He tried to look at what could have made the cart stop, but in the end put it down to some loose cobble stones that must have somehow caught the wheels.

Merlin said nothing, but he wondered how long his luck would last before someone noticed these things around the Prince weren't down to chance. He looked back up the street, wondering where the cart had come from. His eyes glanced in the direction of the tallest tower.

Merlin froze. He stared at the tower's window, colour draining from his face.

"Don't worry Merlin, we've got everything under control!" Shouted Arthur from behind him as he struggled to move the cart, but Merlin couldn't do anything other than stare.

"Did-didn't you see that?" He asked, glancing back at the Prince.

"Did I see a cart hurtling down the street towards me which could have killed me? Yes Merlin, yes I did happen to spot that."

"Not that," Merlin snapped back, he looked back at the mysterious tower and pointed, his hand shaking a little. "At the window!"

Arthur paused for a moment to gaze at the tower. "What am I meant to be looking at?"

"The..." But of course, it was gone now. "The face!" Merlin blurted out. "The face at the window!"

For once, Arthur took his manservant seriously. "Who did you see?"

"I don't know! It was just a...face. It was looking out the window!"

Arthur paused, thinking this information through, he wasn't used to his manservant sounding so panicked. But then he shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Merlin wasn't so sure. He didn't know why, but for some reason the face had shaken him to the core. "But you said no one goes up there!"

The Prince shrugged again, "Maybe a servant went up there to do a bit of dusting or something, I don't know. Maybe you imagined it. Now are you going to lend a hand or just stand there and watch?"

Merlin was sure he hadn't imagined anything, but he said nothing, and went to help Arthur and the others move the cart. He couldn't help but glance back at the window several times, just in case the face had appeared again.

"Are you all right Merlin?" Arthur asked about half an hour later, after they had finished in the market place and were once again heading back up to the castle. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine," Merlin muttered, but he couldn't help remembering what he had heard two maids saying about the tallest tower.

Maybe he _had_ just seen a ghost.


	3. Chapter 3

_Woo, exciting news people! It's a quick update! :D Actually, that's not the exciting news...What is is that I have just finished writing a new (sort-of) book! :D It's a collection of short stories and poems about something very important to me. Hopefully I shall be putting it on the Kindle soon! (I already have a book on sale on there). If you'd like I might put a little teaser of it up on the next update to give you a taste of what it's about, please say if that's something you would be interested in :)_

_Anyway, on with the next chapter! I'm afraid this one's a little shorter than the first two, and it's not very exciting, but there you go, I hope you enjoy all the same. _

* * *

Chapter 3

The Drawing

A day had passed since the mysterious incident with the runaway cart and the face at the window. Everyone else had forgotten about it, apart from Merlin. He lay awake in the night trying to picture the face again, he was too far away to be able to see many features clearly, but he was sure he hadn't seen the face before. It was slender and pale, he had just caught sight of dark hair before it disappeared.

He didn't know why the face plagued him so much though, but he felt like the person had been looking right _at him. _Was it possible that he had he really seen a ghost? No one else had seen it, which suggests that it was, but it could have been a coincidence, it could have been someone up there dusting or cleaning just like Arthur said.

By the time the sun rose Merlin had decided the face at the window would be just another one of those things he would never find the answer to, but he shouldn't let it bother him, it couldn't be anything that important.

But Merlin would soon discover that he was wrong on both counts.

Later that day he was in Arthur's chamber, putting away freshly cleaned clothes. Arthur sat on his bed, for some reason watching him.

"Don't you have some Knights to train or something?"Merlin asked him, he could feel the eyes of the Prince on his back as he walked around the room.

Arthur smiled, probably fully aware that he was getting on Merlin's nerves. "No, I haven't got anything to do at the moment."

"I wonder how that feels like," Merlin muttered to himself as he put one of Arthur's robes in his cupboard.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Merlin said hurriedly, causing Arthur to chuckle.

"You haven't seen my belt anywhere Merlin have you?" Arthur asked after a brief pause.

Merlin shook his head, "Afraid not Sire, maybe that's something you can do instead of sitting on your bed doing nothing?"

"Or, you could look for it!" Arthur suggested, stretching out on the bed and looking totally relaxed. "I'll have a nap instead."

"Oh good!" Merlin said with sarcastic excitement, causing the Prince to chuckle again. "Are you sure you need the belt any more Sire?"

Arthur stopped laughing. "For the last time Merlin, I'm not fat!"

It was Merlin's turn to chuckle. "Of course not Sire," he said in a patronising tone.

Arthur was not convinced, "I'm not!"

"Well, you might want to stop having seconds at dinner if you want to stay thin," Merlin teased, as he started going though Arthur's drawers. "I saw how many sausages you had last night, the amount of pigs you must have eaten-"

"Oh shut up Merlin!" Arthur snapped. "What are you doing now?" He demanded, as Merlin started pulling things out his drawers.

"Looking for your belt!" Merlin said. "It's not here," he added, as he came down to the bottom drawer, one he didn't often look in, and started pulling out a series of small parchments.

One particular piece of parchment caught his eye.

"What's this?" Merlin asked, turning around to Arthur.

He hadn't seen Arthur jump up so quickly. "That's nothing, the things in that drawer are private, give it to me!"

Merlin ignored Arthur, and looked down closely at the parchment. It was a black and white drawing of the head and shoulders a young girl. She couldn't have been more than nine years old, but her raven hair was already quite long, falling past her shoulders in a beautiful wave. She had a stern face, but a pretty one. The artist had managed to catch the spark in her eye. There was something about this girl that he recognised*.

Before Merlin could take anything else in however, Arthur had snatched it from his hands. "Who is she?" Merlin asked gently, he could see in Arthur's eyes this was someone who was very close to him.

"She's no one...no...she's..."Arthur sighed sadly, handing the drawing back to Merlin. "This is Morgana."

Morgana. That name definitely rang a bell, Merlin had heard her name in whispered conversations, but never knew who she really was. In the end he asked Gaius, who explained that Morgana was King Uther's ward. Years ago, when Morgana was a young girl, she had suddenly come down with a terrible illness that quickly took her life. There was nothing even Gaius could do to help her. It broke Uther's heart.

The story had saddened Merlin, and he could see that Arthur had been badly affected by her death too, but he had never mentioned her name. Of course he would be upset though, the King's ward must have been the closest thing he had to a sibling, and then she had been suddenly taken away from him.

But there was something more sinister about the picture. Merlin had never seem an image of Morgana before, and no one had told him what she looked like, but there was still something familiar about those features...

"This was the face I saw at the window!" He suddenly burst out.

"What?"

"At...at the tower yesterday," Merlin stammered, "this was the face I saw."

Arthur immediately became irritated and hurt by such a suggestion. "Don't be ridiculous Merlin! How could you see her at the window? Morgana passed away ten years ago. You must have seen someone else."

"I'm sure..." Merlin began. He may have been far away, but the shape of the face, the long dark hair that fell in waves...he was positive this was the face he saw at the window.

But the Prince snatched the drawing away from his hand again. "Next time you see something like this Merlin, do something respectful for once and put it back where you found it." He snarled.

Merlin nodded. "Sorry," he mumbled. He knew he'd hurt Arthur's feelings badly by suggesting his childhood friend was alive and hiding in the castle.

He left the chamber after that, knowing that Arthur was upset and would want to be alone, but Merlin was sure about who he had seen at the window now.

_*I don't know if they would have had drawings like that back then, but the show itself has its own share of historical inaccuracies such as sandwiches, and I feel it's important for the story, so we'll just go with the flow! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Dragon

Merlin stared down into his stew, as if expecting all his questions to be magically answered on its surface. He poked around at it with his spoon, but that didn't reveal the identity of the face at the window, just a few chunks of vegetables.

"You know Merlin," said Gaius suddenly, making the young Warlock jump. "I can always tell something's troubling you because you take a sudden and strange interest into your food. What's on your mind this time?"

Merlin smiled weakly. "I was just wondering about Morgana."

This was the name Gaius was not expecting, and his eyebrows illustrated this. "Morgana? As in Uther's ward?"

Merlin nodded.

"What would you need to know about her?" Gaius asked, he tried to make it sound light-hearted, but there was just a slight edge to his voice. What was it? Panic? "You never met her, she died ten years ago."

"But I think I've seen her," Merlin muttered. "In the tower."

Gaius wasn't impressed by how the conversation was going already, similarly to how Arthur took the suggestion. But why were they so shocked by the fact Merlin thought had seen a dead person? Why didn't they just shrug their shoulders and assume he must have been mistaken, or suggest that Merlin had seen a ghost, because there was no way someone could come back to life. What were they trying to hide? "What tower?" Gaius demanded.

"The tallest tower," there was no need to add anything, everyone knew what people meant when they said 'the tallest tower.' It seemed that Merlin wasn't the only one who got a creepy feeling every time he past it.

"No one goes in that tower, let alone dead people." Gaius said curtly.

"But I did see someone up there! There was a face at the window!" Merlin argued, surprised by the urgency in his voice. Why had he suddenly become so desperate and determined to find out who was in that tower?

But Gaius shook his head, "No one goes up there Merlin, it's nothing but old, empty chambers. In fact, it would be better if the King ordered that tower to be knocked down. There are more important things to worry about than who you saw at a window, like I have to do right now, and in fact you do too. So why don't you eat that soup before it turns stone cold, and then clean out the leach tank."

And with that, Gaius swept out of the chamber, leaving Merlin feeling all the more concerned.

* * *

_Merlin._

Merlin's eyes snapped open. He hadn't been sleeping, far from it, the mysterious face in the tower and the dead girl made sleep a very difficult to achieve, and his stomach was rumbling (he had ignored Gaius' warning and the soup had turned stone cold). But the voice of the Dragon whispering in his ear still made him jump. He lay there, wondering if he had imagined it or if the Dragon would call him again.

_Merlin._

Merlin sat up in bed, scratching his head and gazing out into the darkness. What could Kilgharrah want this time? There hadn't been a magical threat to the Kingdom in weeks, and the most dangerous thing that had happened had been the runaway cart.

_Merlin!_

Knowing full well the Dragon would not let him be, and sleep was impossible, Merlin got out of bed. He hurried out his chamber, pulling on his jacket to prevent the cold air biting his skin, and crept past a gently snoring Gaius.

The Dragon was waiting for Merlin when he arrived at his underground prison. The only light came from the flickering torch Merlin brought down with him every time he visited the great Dragon. Through the dim, Kilgharrah looked pleased to see the young Warlock, but Merlin was concerned what could have made the Dragon get him up in the middle of the night, it wasn't very often he did this now. Of course there was only one thing the Dragon was every really concerned with - his destiny.

But Kilgharrah didn't seem concerned about Merlin's destiny at all.

"You've been recently asking some questions about Morgana." The great Dragon stated.

Merlin was taken-aback. How would a few questions to his friends about the King's ward concern the last Dragon on earth? "How did you know?" Was the first question that slipped from him.

Kilgharrah chuckled, "Not much of what happens to you gets passed me, Merlin. Especially something like this," the Dragon suddenly sounded very serious. But Merlin didn't understand.

"What's so special about Morgana?" He asked.

"Nothing," Kilgharrah replied, "so you should stop thinking about it."

But that wasn't going to convince Merlin at all. "If she's nothing, why should I forget about her?"

The Dragon actually looked a bit awkward at this question, his feet twisted against the black rock underneath him, he didn't have an excuse! How many times did that happen? What was he hiding? "She's taking your mind off your destiny and it shouldn't," the Dragon suddenly decided. "There's nothing you need to know about her."

"But I think she might be alive," Merlin burst out. It was the same thought that had been running through his head all night. "I thought I saw a face at the tallest tower, then I saw a drawing and-"

"Like I said Merlin, it's distracting you," Kilgharrah snapped, sounding quite annoyed at Merlin's defiance. "Morgana is of no interest to you, she died years ago, and there is nothing in that tower that should give you any concern."

Merlin paused, "So, you won't mind if I go up into the tower then? If it's nothing but empty chambers, like everyone else said..."

The Dragon glowered at the young Warlock, but tried not to show his increasing anger. "From what I've learnt Merlin, the tallest tower is out of bounds to everyone, so there's no point getting into an trouble for a collection of empty chambers."

But Merlin was still suspicious. He couldn't understand why the Dragon had brought him down here to tell him that the tallest tower contained nothing but empty chambers, and that Morgana was dead. People were so desperate to not tell Merlin anything about her, and convince him that Morgana wasn't important, just made him all the more curious.

Unless of course, there was something up in that tower, and if people kept on saying that no one was allowed in the tower, who was at the window? Even if Morgana was alive or dead, there were still some secrets hovering about her that no one wished to tell, not even the Dragon.

And Merlin was pretty sure that the answers would be found in the tallest tower.

Without another word he turned and left, Kilgharrah called after him, but Merlin ignored him. There was something very mysterious about this, and he was determined to find out more about Morgana, no matter who warned him.

* * *

_So, now the Dragon and Gaius has got involved! Sorry it's not a very exciting chapter, and again it's a bit short, but I promise the story will start to pick up again soon!_

_If anyone's interested I have just re-edited another old Mergana story, it's a two-shot called Parallel Love and I've just posted it, you're very welcome to have a read of it :) _

_Please review! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Every now and then I'm going to have a chapter looking at the point of view of Morgana, and this is one of them! :) I hope you like it, feel free to tell me what you think! :)_

* * *

Chapter 5

The Brief Meeting

Morgana heard Uther's footsteps on the cold, stone steps as he made his way into her chamber. She knew it would be Uther, as he was her only visitor. For the years that she had been trapped here, Morgana had watched herself grow into a woman, but there was hardly anyone there to see it happen. Apart from her maid, the only other brief visits she got were from a King whom she didn't know whether to love or hate.

She knew Uther had locked her away to try and keep her safe, or at least that's what he told her, but in doing so he had isolated her from the world and abandoned her. But maybe he did it because she was a monster and he was trying to protect other people from her. Or perhaps he was the monster, after all, he was the one who locked up a little girl who didn't know what was wrong with her in the first place. Maybe he had fooled himself into thinking he was doing this for Morgana's own good, and in doing so tricked Morgana as well, when really he was keeping her imprisoned.

All these thoughts went through Morgana's head every time he came to visit her. Sometimes when she sat alone in the darkness she didn't know what to think of this guardian, she just knew there was light outside her window that he had prevented her from reaching.

Morgana sighed, and quickly checked in the mirror that she looked suitable for a meeting with a King, and then sat on her bed, waiting for him to arrive.

In the dim candlelight she saw Uther hesitating in the doorway, unsure what to say or how to enter. He did this every time. Morgana briefly wondered whether he was just as conflicted as she was about this situation. She wished he would leave her alone but at the same time she longed for him to stay and talk to her, as it had been weeks since she had had contact with her guardian.

There was one person she saw on an almost daily basis however; Gwen, her only friend and loyal servant. Only a child at the time Morgana had revealed her magic, Uther knew that Morgana needed someone to bring her food and clean her clothes, so quiet and trustful Gwen who already knew Morgana, had been chosen to take care of the King's secret. It was comforting for Morgana to see a face she recognised, and over time the two became friends. However their bond was a difficult one, as Gwen was only allowed to go up and see Morgana at certain times so to avoid being noticed, and sometimes Morgana was asleep while Gwen was around, tidying and putting away her clothes, and she wasn't allowed to stay for very long, meaning there were days when they didn't even manage to say hello to each other. So even though Morgana had a friend, the time they spent together was fragmented and difficult, and Morgana still ended up alone.

Morgana sometimes thought it was a miracle she hadn't gone mad from loneliness, or maybe she had and due to such little human contact no one knew. Or perhaps she was already mad before they had locked her up here.

These very thoughts made Morgana feel like she was going mad. Maybe she needed help. Once she complained to Uther about the terrible nightmares she had been having, and to her astonishment her actually offered her medication. More than that, he brought her a physician! Morgana couldn't describe her joy of seeing another face - Gaius. She hadn't seen him in such a long time, he was kind as always, but concerned about her. After the brief but memorable visit, Morgana started alerting Uther or Gwen to every ailment she received, hoping that he would bring the physician to her aid again. Sometimes she even made up illnesses, or leaned out the window during the winter months in the hope of catching a chill. But this wasn't going to work forever, as Uther wasn't keen on letting too many people see her too often, and after a while she had enough medicines to treat herself when she next fell ill. So soon Morgana found her only visitors were Gwen and the King.

The silence stretched on a little longer before Uther braved to enter the room. _Perhaps he's afraid of me,_ Morgana thought to herself. He didn't smile when he saw her, sometimes he did, but other times he was worried or in a bad mood, so his face remained stern.

The King looked around her small chamber that was meant to be her bedroom. "It's very dark in here Morgana, do you need any more light? I could have some more candles sent to you."

"You told me I wasn't allowed much light," Morgana murmured. Was this the most exciting conversation she was going to get? She hadn't spoken to him in weeks, but her visitor was only going to talk to her about candles.

"I said you could have light, just not by the window after dark." Uther glared at the little window in her room as if it had done something to personally offend him. But the little window was Morgana's only source of natural light and insight into the outside world. There was nothing the King could say to allow him to border up her little window.

"You don't have to worry about it Sire," Morgana murmured, "I'm very careful."

Uther wasn't so sure, but Morgana had learnt over the years the King never trusted people. That's why he locked up his ward. But he shrugged his shoulders and let it pass. Instead, he tried the same passage of conversation he always did when he visited Morgana. "Are you well, my Lady?"

"I am well." Morgana nodded.

"Any change?"

Morgana shook her head. Uther always wanted to know if something different had happened in her life. Whether she had seen anything out her window, her magic had disappeared, or if there was any changes in her health. Of course, being locked up in a tower, very little changed.

"Are you keeping yourself under control?"

Morgana's teeth gritted at this question. It was just like he was treating her as if she was mad and had trouble trying to keep herself sane. This was more of an interrogation than a friendly chat. "Yes Sire, my magic is under control." Even if anything had changed Morgana knew she wouldn't dare tell the King. But it was her chance to ask questions. "Have there been any changes in Camelot?"

Uther shook his head. "No my Lady, not much has happened these last few weeks. The last of the food has been brought in from the harvest." He added, which showed Morgana he was at least trying to make conversation with her.

Her face lit up at this comment, as it always did when she heard something about Camelot. The mysterious outside world that was so close and yet so far. She was frightened that soon her childhood memories of Camelot would fade away, and all she would have is memories of these old, dark chambers, so any news helped her remember walking down the busy marketplace and riding hr horse across the fields. She tried to stay composed though in front of the King. "And was it a good harvest?"

"It went fairly well, the people shouldn't have any worries for the winter."

"That's good," Morgana paused. Here came the question she always asked to whoever visited her, no matter what may have happened, yet she always felt nervous asking it. "Is there a chance I could leave here and see Camelot?"

The King immediately stiffened, his eyes hardened. The same reaction he had every time she asked.

"Winter's coming soon," Morgana blurted out, "the people will be sheltering indoors. They won't see me if I take a walk through the town. People don't know what I look like anyway, I'll be a stranger, and Gwen can take care of me. Last time you saw me, you said lots of people visited Camelot from the different Kingdoms, people will just think I'm a stranger passing through. They won't think twice..." Her voice faded into silence as her argument began to lose certainty.

"For the last time Morgana," Uther sighed, he sounded both sad and angry that she was asking such a question "it's not safe."

Of course it wasn't safe, it was never safe, no matter how or when she asked it. Morgana could never work out whether Uther meant it wasn't safe for her to leave the tower, or if it was unsafe for the other people she would meet. She knew not to ask twice in one night though, or else the King would start to lose his temper with her.

An uncomfortable silence fell. Guilt flickered over Uther's face as Morgana sat on her bed, staring at the floor to hide her disappointment. She had known what his answer would be, but still she hoped that one day he might say yes.

"Is there anything you need at the moment?" Uther asked suddenly into the silence. Morgana looked up, it seemed the brief meeting was already coming to an end. The King had nothing else to say to his prisoner. She shook her head.

With that, Uther turned to leave. Morgana stood up and followed him, as she always did, so she could watch him leave and bid him goodbye. They walked in silence, while his ward still desperately thought of something else to say that would persuade him to let her see more of the outside world than the stories he and Gwen told her.

But she could think of nothing to say. Down a couple of stone steps and to the great wooden door, Uther paused and turned to Morgana again. "Are you sure you don't need any more light?" He asked her through the dark.

Morgana sighed, "No, it's fine. Goodnight, my Lord."

"Goodnight," Uther muttered, never very good at saying goodbyes, and with that he was gone.

And before she knew it Morgana was all alone once more, wishing that she could have said or asked for something else, just to make him stay a little longer.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Voice

Instead of going straight back to his room that evening after meeting the Dragon, Merlin, full of fresh determination to discover the truth, took a detour from his chambers and instead headed up the stone stairs of the castle to reach the entrance of the tallest tower.

No one else was about, the castle had descended into silence. The young Warlock held his flickering torch out in front of him, but the light showed nothing but a long, empty corridor. Surely this is too good to be true? There was no one there to catch him in the act, not even a guard making a quick observation to make sure no one was wondering around the castle looking for trouble. Briefly, Merlin wondered if he fitted under that category.

Half way down the corridor, Merlin reached what he assumed would be the door leading into the tallest tower. Everyone walked past it, not even glancing at the great, old wooden door, as if it didn't exist. To everyone, it was just a locked door leading into a collection of empty chambers that didn't matter to anyone.

Slowly, Merlin reached for the door handle. He knew it would probably still be locked, but there was no harm in trying. He remembered the last time he tried the door and found it to be locked, he assumed it was a sign that he shouldn't go any further, but perhaps it was a sign that there were hidden secrets he should investigate.

But just as Merlin's hand touched the door, he heard voices from within, and the door creaked open.

Instinctively, Merlin dived into the shadows against the wall, muttering a few words so the torch was immediately extinguished. He stared into the darkness, hardly daring to breath as listened closely.

"Are you sure you don't need any more light?" Asked a muffled voice. Merlin recognised it immediately - King Uther. He sounded concerned and yet somewhat resigned, who had he been talking to that would cause him to worry?

At first Merlin wondered if perhaps the King wasn't talking to anyone at all. Perhaps people had kept the empty chambers a hushed secret due to the embarrassment that the King went up into the chamber to talk to himself. Was it a way he worked out the problems in Camelot? Did he just talk to help calm his stressed mind?

But suddenly Merlin's questions were answered:

"No, it's fine." Someone replied.

This was definitely a voice he had not heard before. Female, light and soft, yet also sounding resigned and a little bit annoyed that the King was talking to her. There was only one person this could be, and it wasn't a ghost. The King may talk to the spirit of his young lost ward, but the spirit may well not reply, and a ghost doesn't need any light.

Someone was living in the tower after all, and Merlin and a pretty good feeling who it was.

Unfortunately, it seemed Merlin wouldn't learn any more from their hushed conversation, as it was already coming to an end. "Goodnight my Lord," said the myserious voice.

"Goodnight," the King replied.

Overcome with curiosity, Merlin leaned forward, away from the shadows, to try and see the face that was attached to this new voice. But he saw nothing, just Uther as he shut the great oak door, took a large iron key from his pocket and locked it.

The King was about to turn and leave, when he caught sight of Merlin's figure and froze.

"Who's there?" He demanded, his voice suddenly filled with panic and anger. "Show yourself!"

Knowing worse things would happen if he tried to hide away or used magic to get himself out of this situation, Merlin stepped forward.

Uther looked surprised to see a servant hiding in the shadows next to the tallest tower, but he recovered himself quickly, and once again his face was full of anger. "What are you doing here, boy?" He demanded.

"I err..." Merlin thought quickly, "I've been up all night trying to clean Prince Arthur's armour, when I heard footsteps and decided to follow them, just in case it was someone trying to break into the castle or if it was just a guard..."

Uther didn't look convinced, he glared down at Merlin, his eyes cold. "What's wrong with Arthur's armour?" He asked.

"Err...it's a bit muddy after his horse through him into swamp while out doing some training with the knights."

"I didn't know Arthur had fallen off his horse." The King sounded concerned.

Merlin shrugged, as if it was nothing, "Well, he was a bit embarrassed, having fallen into a muddy swamp and everything. That's why he's had me up all night trying to clean off all the mud." Merlin was wondering how far he'd get away with this, surely the King wouldn't believe this awful lie? He just hoped Uther didn't mention the pretend swamp incident to Arthur if he did.

Uther certainly didn't look convinced, but he didn't seem so worried about what a servant was doing up at night, but more of the consequences of seeing of a servant the King up in the middle of the night. "You didn't hear or see anything did you?" He asked suspiciously, his eyes no longer cold, but burning.

Merlin shook his head quickly, "No sire, it was too dark to see anything, that's why I didn't realise you weren't an intruder."

There was a pause. "I hope you're not lying boy." Uther growled.

"I wouldn't dare lie to you, Sire."

Uther glared at Merlin, but after another few seconds of tense silence, he seemed to let the matter pass. "No one must hear of this encounter." He said sharply. "Because if anyone finds out..."

"I won't say anything to anyone Sire," Merlin replied hurriedly.

This seemed to satisfy Uther. He may have been unimpressed by Merlin's excuses for being up so late at night, but he seemed convinced that a scared little servant wouldn't say anything about this strange conversation in the dark. "Good, now get out," he snarled.

Merlin didn't need telling twice. He turned and rushed down the corridor, not looking back, pretending to be a servant afraid of their mighty King. I fact he was more annoyed and upset about this encounter than afraid. Uther was suspicious of him now, it may well be a while until he could go up to the tower again, a second encounter may have worse consequences. He could still see the fiery anger in Uther's eyes, and was sure the King hadn't believed him when he claimed he didn't see or hear anything.

But at least this brief encounter had given him some more information.

It wasn't like Uther to get so worried about something as trivial as this, so there must be someone up in the tower that was so secret, he was afraid of even a servant telling about it, even though no one listens to servants.

As Merlin returned to his chambers in the dark, the female voice was still going round and round in his head, and he knew he hadn't imagined it. Uther had definitely been up in that tower, and someone had been with him.

It took Merlin a long time to go to sleep, but when he did he dreamt of the female voice, and saw her silhouette through the darkness of an empty chamber, but it was too far away for him to reach.

* * *

_Did anyone else think of Bradley and Colin singing 'you're the voice' when they saw the title of this chapter? Maybe it's just me...If you haven't seen that video you must, it's so funny!_

_Oh and that reminds me, an official series 5 video is now out on youtube! :D It's looking good, can't wait for it to come back!_

_Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! Sorry it's another short one, reviews much appreciated! :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_Arthur doesn't actually know about Morgana's presence in the tallest tower, I know a couple of people thought he did, so my apologies about the confusion! Hopefully this chapter should make it a little more clearer. I hope it's ok! :) _

Chapter 7

The Empty Chamber

Merlin sat on the window sill of an empty chamber, gazing out at the Kingdom, he tried to gather his thoughts. He had been keeping his distance from Uther and the tallest tower that day, just in case the King was still feeling suspicious from their encounter the night before. Merlin tried to stifle a yawn, the eventful night had left him exhausted, and the mysterious female voice had kept him awake until the early hours, and still the voice plagued him, he wasn't even sure why. He had suspected there was someone up there, so why couldn't he stop thinking about the woman's voice, drifting to his ears in the darkness, as if it was a surprise?

He kept on trying to imagine what the woman would look like, she must look as beautiful as her voice. Surely it must be Morgana? And Merlin was sure he hadn't imagined it, even though the more he thought about her words, the less real they seemed to become. He was starting to lose confidence in his most recent discovery, he felt like he needed a sign.

"Merlin?"

The young Warlock almost fell off the window sill when he heard his name. He turned to see Arthur standing in the doorway, looking both confused and annoyed. "No wonder nothing gets done around here, if you think cleaning the stables means sitting in an empty chamber staring out the window." Said the Prince.

"Err..." Merlin quickly tried to think of an excuse, "Sorry, I was just...having a rest."

"You know, you have a rest after you've done some work, not before." Arthur pointed out. Merlin could hear the light-hearted tone in his voice, but he wasn't really in the mood for the Prince's banter, and seemed the Prince wasn't either.

There was a slight pause, in which Arthur lost his smirk and started looking around at the empty chamber, suddenly, he looked quite sad. "This was Morgana's chamber you know."

"What?" Merlin almost fell over again in his surprise. "Really?"

Arthur nodded. Merlin could see the memories flooding back as he looked around the room. He pointed to one corner of the room, "Yep, I remember, that was where she had her wardrobe, and over there was where she had her bed. You know, sometimes I used to sneak in here when we were meant to be asleep and me and Morgana would both stay up all night just talking." A small smile grew in his face. "We were just like brother and sister. We would steal food from the kitchens occasionally as well to have a midnight feast." His face fell again, "Of course, that was a long time ago.

There was another brief pause. "I'm sorry Arthur," Merlin said suddenly.

"Sorry for what?"

Merlin shrugged, he wasn't sure why he said it, he didn't hear much about Arthur's childhood, and he didn't think about how much a missing childhood friend would effect Arthur. "I'm sorry you lost your friend, I'm sorry I never really asked about her before."

"Doesn't matter," Arthur said, but Merlin supposed he didn't talk much about the girl who he saw as a sister. She was someone who had been swept under the carpet. Even everything in her room had disappeared, leaving just an empty chamber, as if she never existed.

But perhaps that meant she did exist. The King had left nothing in the room for him to savour her memory. Not even the bed, or the curtains, or the few possessions Morgana herself would have seen as precious. There was nothing. If Morgana had died, surely he would want to keep those things, to keep alive her memory?

However if Morgana was still alive, she would still need her bed, her curtains and the things she saw as precious. She wasn't a memory to Uther.

But why would the King want everyone to forget about her in the first place? Why would he let everyone think she was dead and take away all her things, when really she may well be alive and living in the castle all this time? Merlin decided to try and dig for some more information before Arthur got irritated about him sitting around.

"Why don't I hear people talk about Morgana?" He asked tentatively.

"Well, like I said, it was a long time ago," Arthur said, shrugging again. "And my father's not one of those people to sit around and reminisce about his lost loved ones. It must be too painful for him. First he lost my mother, and then his ward who he had promised to take care of had been taken away from him so suddenly."

"Do you mind me asking...how Morgana died?"

Arthur's face immediately darkened, but he was willing to share what he knew. "Father said she had been cursed by a witch or wizard, and it had killed her. I remember the last day I saw her, she..." Suddenly, he stopped. His face went pale, and he looked like he had come very close to giving a grave secret away. "I'm not supposed to talk about it," he said quickly.

"You can tell me Arthur, you trust me, " Merlin said gently.

The Prince hesitated, but his friendship with Merlin won over the laws of his father. "There was a celebration, me and Morgana went, but I lost sight of her in the crowd, but she seemed fine. Then all of a sudden I heard screaming, and my father shouting, I didn't realise at first that it was Morgana, until the guards turned on her. She made a run for it, I tried to stop her, but she carried on running, and she looked so scared." There were tears in Arthur's eyes as the memories of that day came suddenly back to him, memories that the usual pompous Prince pretended he never had. "I never saw her again, I wanted to visit her in her chamber, but they said I wasn't allowed. I tried to creep in but all I saw were people moving things out her chamber, then my father came to me, sat me down and said she had been cursed...and, and there was nothing they could do...the curse had taken her. He announced it to the people a few hours later."

Silence fell, as Arthur tried to compose himself.

"You must really miss her," Merlin murmured into the silence.

Arthur nodded, and tried to clear his throat, his voice was starting to crack. "We didn't get along the whole time, but we were so close, and then before I know it one day she was just gone..." Arthur was desperately trying compose himself and tried to distance himself from the memories. He tried to give a careless shrug. "Anyway, there was nothing anyone could do to save her. That's why my father's so strict on magic, he's seen the damage it can do."

So Morgana had been cursed, or she may have been cursed. That would be a good excuse to have her taken away from the world, if someone had inflicted a dark spell on her. But what could be so bad to make Uther tell everyone, and even deceive his own son, into thinking that it had killed her? Merlin thought about the small drawing of the girl, she didn't look like a monster or a curse to him.

However all this was still just ideas yet to be proven. Morgana may have well died that day. Or she could have been that face Merlin saw at the window, and the voice he heard through the dark. There was only one way to find out though.

Merlin suddenly realised that silence and fallen in the room again, and Arthur was looking very sombre. "Well, I suppose I should be getting back to my work..." he began.

"Yes, yes you should." Arthur said, quickly trying to turn into a Prince again. "Honestly Merlin if you have enough time to sit around I should give you more jobs to do."

"No, that won't be necessary Sire," Merlin said quickly, "I'll just go and..." he tried to remember what he was actually meant to be doing, "and clean the stables!"

Arthur tutted, "Well get on with it then."

Merlin was just about to leave the room, when Arthur spoke again. "Oh and Merlin?"

Merlin turned back, "Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

The Prince shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, just thank you...for listening. You may be a rubbish servant but you're a good friend, I haven't shared those memories with anyone before, and I think I needed to. So, thank you."

Merlin gave a quick smile, wishing he could tell the Prince so much more, Arthur had just confessed so much to him and then thanked him, when really Merlin could tell him all the things he had discovered, and he would find out his childhood friend was alive and well. But Merlin decided against it, Arthur would probably never believe him, and if he did he would turn against his father, and if Merlin turned out all this time he was wrong, he could get into serious trouble. But Merlin was determined now to find out the truth.

The young Warlock hurried out the room and headed down to the stables, deciding it was best to stay in Arthur's good books and do some work, but his thoughts were far away. A plan was forming in his mind.

* * *

The next day nothing much more happened, but when night fell, not everyone was sleeping. A young Warlock was wide awake, and heading straight to the entrance of the tallest tower. He took more care this time, making sure no one spotted him. Something told Merlin he wouldn't be encountering Uther that night, and this gave him more confidence to go on. He had no light this time, he didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he had to make his way to the tallest tower through in the dark.

Merlin reached the corridor. At first he thought his luck was against him once more, as he heard muffled whisperings and the door to the tallest tower opened. Like last time he shrank into the shadows. But tonight he had nothing to fear, it wasn't Uther.

"Goodnight my Lady," said a soft, female voice, but not the one Merlin had heard before. He could just about see through the darkness someone closing the door to the tallest tower, locking it with a key and walk away. He crept out of the shadows just in time to see a maid leave the corridor.

Merlin tried to hold back his sigh of relief, but heart was thudding in his chest as he came to the door of the tallest tower.

He waited and moment, as if expecting someone else to suddenly come out, but there was silence from within. He whispered one word and heard a click as the door unlocked. Slowly, he pushed the door open.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Lady Morgana

Merlin stepped through the door. The first thing he encountered was a row of stone steps, leading up into the tower. He walked up them cautiously, not sure whether he should call out to alert anyone at the top of the stairs. He didn't even know if there was anyone in the tower as there was very little light.

At the top of the steps there was a single chamber facing him, Merlin could just about see through the darkness a bed and a small window, a single lighted candle sat on the bedside table. On both sides of him were doors that he guessed lead to other, smaller chambers, but he didn't get a chance to investigate them.

There was certainly signs of life there, with the bed and the candle, but Merlin couldn't see any other living soul. He wondered if Morgana was let out in the middle of the night. For some reason this thought made him shiver, it was as if Morgana was being treated like a dangerous, caged animal that could only be freed when the sun had set and everyone else was tucked up safely in their beds.

Just as Merlin began to wonder if he should go around and look for anyone or give up and leave the tower, there was a voice, the same female voice he had heard talking to Uther.

"Who's there?" It demanded, it sounded both angry and scared. "What are you doing up here?"

Merlin wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, the person was hidden in shadow and had taken him by surprise. "I err," was all he could think to say.

The voice seemed to be getting more afraid and irritated at this. "Get out of my chamber!" She snapped.

In the end Merlin managed to find the right words to say. "Lady Morgana?" He asked into the darkness.

There was a pause. Just ahead of Merlin a figure stepped out of the shadows and into the dim candlelight. "How do you know my name?" the Lady Morgana asked.

Again Merlin was lost for words, but because he had been struck by Morgana's beauty. A wave of dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, ending quite far down her back. She had bright, emerald eyes, which were wide with fear and surprised, but filled with a spark of energy and life, a spark that had not been destroyed despite so many years of being trapped in a tower alone. Her skin was pale but her lips were a deep red like blood.

For a moment both of them stared at each other, until Morgana spoke, a little more calmly this time. "Why are you here?"

"Erm," for a moment Merlin himself wasn't so sure why he had come here. It was simply the drive of curiosity, the urge to solve a mystery, a way to answer his questions once and for all. For some reason he had never considered what he would actually do if he did discover Morgana in the tower.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Morgana asked suddenly.

Merlin couldn't help but laugh at this random and, what he thought, ridiculous statement. "No, of course I'm not going to kill you! Why would I want to do that?"

There was a pause, and it seemed a thousand different emotions and thoughts flickered over Morgana's face. But she voiced none of them. She just shrugged and said, "A stranger appearing in my chamber in the middle of the night with no good explanation, I assumed I would be in danger. Wouldn't you?"

Merlin knew this was true, and suddenly he realised how rude he was being. This may be a cage, a prison, but it was also someone's home, and he had walked straight into it at night without even knocking on the door. He could understand why Morgana was so angry and frightened at the same time.

This wasn't going well, but Merlin decided it would be best to be honest with her. "I'm really sorry, I had just heard some rumours about someone living here in the tallest tower and I suppose I just wanted to find out for myself."

Morgana seemed surprised about this, "There are rumours about me?"

"Well, a few," Merlin shrugged, "And I just wanted to find out why no one went up into this tower, but I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, just please don't tell anyone that I came up here." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Morgana burst out suddenly, stepping forward and reaching out a hand.

The Young Warlock turned back to her, surprised. "What's the matter?"

Morgana hesitated, and then sighed, her eyes looked sad. "I don't even know your name."

"I'm Merlin."

"_Mer_lin?" Morgana spoke the word carefully and slowly, as if she was testing it, tasting it. Her eyes seemed as if she was trying to work out what sort of person might have the name 'Merlin'. She looked him up and down. "I recognise you. I see you out my window sometimes. You're usually with Arthur."

"Yes, I'm his manservant."

Morgana seemed surprised by this, but then a small smile grew on her face. Merlin was feeling surprised as well, was the woman who had just tried to chase him away, now trying to have a conversation with him? "I expect that's a hard job."

Merlin couldn't up but smile too. "Can be, he's just about bearable." There was a slight pause, in which Merlin wondered what to say. "Arthur misses you, you know."

The smile on Morgana's face was replaced with sadness, a real, terrible sadness that made the light in her eyes almost die out and made Merlin's heart sink with sympathy with the sight of it. "He doesn't know I'm here, does he?" The Young Warlock shook his head. "I miss him, you know." She said, "we didn't get on all the time, but I miss him so much."

"I think he misses you just as much." Merlin spoke softly.

Suddenly, Morgana looked a little angry, but there was mainly confusion in her eyes. "Why am I telling you this?" She demanded.

Merlin shrugged, "Perhaps because I'm the only person who will listen to what you have to say?"

Morgana's face became stern, but of course she would be suspicious of the stranger who came to her chamber in the middle of the night and was offering to listen to her private thoughts. "You shouldn't be here Merlin. Do you realise what might happen to you if Uther finds out you had come here? No one is meant to know I'm here, and he wants to make sure of that."

"I know, but I had to come-" Merlin began.

"Did someone send you?" Morgana questioned.

"No, I came alone. No one else knows I'm here."

"How did you find out about me in the first place?"

This was probably one of the strangest conversations Merlin had had. The two strangers were standing in the darkness with a few feet between them and tension hung in the air. The two were staring at each other as if they were working out if the other was a friend or foe. The Young Warlock shrugged, "Like I said, just rumours really."

There was a pause, while Morgana thought through his words. Another question was just forming on her lips, when she heard something that made both of them freeze.

Footsteps, very faint, but definitely there, walking down the corridor just outside the tallest tower. Morgana's eyes widened. "You can't stay here," she said in a hurried whisper. "Leave now while you can, if someone comes in here and catches you..."

Merlin nodded hurriedly and rushed for the door, annoyed that their conversation had been cut short, but understanding Morgana's warnings. However just before he left the Lady Morgana whispered, "Are you going to come back?"

The Young Warlock hesitated, he didn't know what Morgana might want the answer to be, but something inside him desperately wanted to see her again. He was comforted by the thought that at least she didn't want him to get caught in the tower, so she wasn't going to tell anyone about him. Perhaps she didn't fear him anymore, maybe she did want him to come back. "I would like to see you again," Merlin admitted, "but do you want me to?"

Through the darkness, Merlin could see Morgana hesitate, but then she nodded.

However there wasn't much more the two could say or do as the footsteps were coming closer. If they intended to enter the tallest tower, Merlin wouldn't have much time to make a run for it. Very slowly and quietly, he pulled open the door and slipped out into the corridor.

* * *

_Hooray they finally meet! I hope it didn't take too long that you got bored, or it didn't come too quickly it seemed unrealistic, it was a tricky balancing act. I felt this wasn't a very good chapter either, but I gave Morgana extra-long hair for those of you who if mentioned in reviews if she would be like Rapunzel :)_


	9. Chapter 9

_I apologise about the short chapter today and it's not very interesting, but at least it's a quicker update :) this one is Morgana's point of view after she had her first meeting with Merlin. Reviews much appreciated :)_

* * *

Chapter 9

The Visitor

The footsteps of the mysterious boy disappeared quickly, and Morgana braced herself for whoever was going to walk through the door, hoping she didn't look too startled by who she had just encountered. However after a few moments these footsteps faded into silence, and she realised it had been a false alarm.

For some reason, this made Morgana feel incredibly sad, as it meant her encounter with Merlin had been cut short for no reason. She hadn't seen any other face apart from Uther and Gwen's for such a long time, and then she had just sent him away.

He was a strange boy, Merlin. At first she had feared him, she had spent many years hearing feet pace up the stone stairs, and she had learnt to recognise them. When she heard the door to the tallest tower open she thought it was Gwen, who had only just left the tower and had perhaps left something behind, but the footsteps were too heavy and too hesitant. This wasn't Gwen, this was an intruder.

The warnings that Uther had drip fed her over the years made Morgana think that it was someone who had come to rid Camelot of their curse. The very reason why she was locked in the tower was to protect her from people, but now at last someone had found her. However the boy didn't have a look of a killer, even though still she felt suspicious, but when she asked if he had come to kill her, and the boy had laughed as if it was a ridiculous assumption, and she had felt foolish.

Merlin had a nice laugh, and a nice face. Cute ears too, and a dancing spark in his eyes that lit up the darkness. After hearing his laugh Morgana no longer feared him, she was curious, and she remembered seeing his short, raven hair from a distance at her window occasionally. She had often wondered who he was, and sometimes his laughter carried up to her chamber on the wind. She had never thought she would meet him in person though.

When he first appeared in the darkness she had told him to go, but when she realised he was harmless and actually apologising for giving her company and giving her information about the outside world, she found herself begging for him to stay. Besides, how many times did she have opportunity for company?

Morgana spent a lot of time that night just sitting in her chamber, thinking about who she had met, going over the conversation again in her head, as if she was looking for something. There were so many things she wanted to ask Merlin but during that brief meeting she didn't have the chance. Would she be able to ask them again? Would he come back like he said? Might he try again tonight, or did the footsteps scare him into not taking the risk for another week? Who knows what Uther's reaction would be if he found someone had gone into the tallest tower. Still she would like to see him again, even though she wasn't quite sure why.

That brought Morgana to another question; how did Merlin get up to her chamber in the first place? She was sure she heard Gwen lock the door, as she always did, but perhaps she had forgotten, and it was just luck that had brought Merlin to her door. Or maybe he had found another way to get in?

What did matter though, was that Merlin didn't lock the door when he left.

Slowly, Morgana walked down the stone steps and reached the old wooden door. She reached forward and pulled at the handle. Sure enough, it was unlocked, and it swung open.

For the first time in years, Morgana stepped out of the tallest tower and into the corridor. A cold breeze hit her face, and she realised she had been sweating with fear of the visitor, and now her heart was thumping inside her chest at the thought that she was free.

The first thing Morgana did was look up and down the corridor to see if Merlin was still there, but the strange boy had left. There was no one else around either, the corridor was empty.

For a moment Morgana thought this was her chance to escape, once and for all. But she was too afraid. Where would she go, how could she get out of the castle unseen? She suddenly felt like a little girl again, when her magic had first been revealed, and she thought she could escape but panic had overcome her. This time she wasn't so afraid, but the rational part of her mind told her that trying to escape wouldn't amount to anything tonight. Uther had locked her up in the tower so he didn't have to kill her, but if he found her running around in the castle in the middle of the night, what would he do? And there could well be people who saw her as an intruder.

Morgana started to feel angry, but she knew there was nothing she could do. At least she knew someone else on the outside now, and if Merlin came back Morgana knew that soon they would become friends, she already felt something there between them. And another friend who had a glimpse into the world of Camelot would be useful, especially if he was brave enough to break into her tower, maybe he was brave enough to break her out.

For a few minutes Morgana stood out in the corridor. Enjoying the gentle cold breeze against her neck and wondering what lay beyond her. She stayed out there for as long as she dared, and even paced up and down a little, even though there was little to see in the darkness.

When Morgana returned to the tower she felt strangely uplifted. Usually she would hate herself for missing such an opportunity to escape, something she had been longing for for so long, but now she had Merlin. He would be her own little secret, she wouldn't even tell Gwen about him, but if he returned like he said, life in the tower suddenly didn't seem so bad any more.

That night it took Morgana a long time to get to sleep, and when she did she dreamed of her conversation with the visitor, Merlin, and all the things she might say to him in the future. She was so scared of him at first, but now she clutched at the hopeful thought that she might be able to see him again.


	10. Chapter 10

_Found out the other day that fanfiction now has spell-check for uploaded stories, just thought I'd say in case any of you didn't know, it's really useful :)_

_And if anyone's interested I have recently posted a humorous Sherlock one-shot called 'Beside the Sea' feel free to check it out! :) In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

Chapter 10

The Doubt

He couldn't stop thinking about her, not from the moment he sneaked out of the tallest tower. It turned out it was a guard who was walking past the corridor, and fortunately not Uther. Merlin managed to easily slip past him, after all, it was a Camelot guard, and head back down to his chamber, but of course sleep didn't come. There were so many emotions going around his head.

One of them was anger, Merlin couldn't believe Uther had done something like this. Killing people just because they had magic was bad enough, but locking away an innocent girl, his own ward? Arthur said Morgana had been cursed, but she wasn't cursed, there was nothing wrong with her. What was Uther thinking?

Merlin wondered if he should tell Arthur, someone had to know, and Arthur might be able to do something about it. He certainly wouldn't stand for something like this, he had a good heart, and he was one of the few people his tyrant of a father would listen to. Of course he knew he couldn't burst into Arthur's chamber right now and confess everything that he knew and had seen, the Prince would be far from happy, but he had to say something, he had to do something for Morgana.

She seemed like a nice girl, and very beautiful. At first she was scared, but then when she realised Merlin didn't mean any harm, she began to relax a little more, and then she said she wanted to see him again. For some reason Merlin felt a great elation at this, and promised he would see her again and he was determined he would, but at the same time he felt like he needed to do something more, he just wasn't sure what exactly.

The same thoughts went round and round Merlin's head as he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Gaius raised his infamous eyebrow when he saw Merlin yawn for the third time in fifteen minutes. The Young Warlock was taking a lot of interest in his porridge, poking his breakfast with his spoon, a sign that there was something on his mind.

"Had a bad night's sleep Merlin?" Gaius asked.

Merlin's head jerked up, as if he didn't even know the physician was there. For a moment his sleepy mind wondered if Gaius knew where he had been last night, his tone of voice sounded a little suspicious. But then he realised Gaius was probably asking out of curiosity and concern, his exhaustion must be clear on his face, Merlin certainly felt it.

He nodded, yawning again. "Just lots of things on my mind," he explained, hoping that that would be the end of the conversation. If there was one person he found almost impossible to lie to, it was Gaius.

Besides, Gaius wouldn't know about Morgana in the tower...would he?

"Anything in particular on your mind?" Gaius asked.

Merlin hesitated, because there most certainly was, he just didn't know how to say it and he still felt so frustrated at Uther. In the end he sighed and said; "Gaius, why do you support Uther?"

The physician looked at Merlin carefully, who looked back down and continued to take a lot of interest in his breakfast, "What do you mean?"

"Why do you still stand by the King?" Merlin questioned, "So many people with magic have turned away from him because of what he has done to us, yet you still support him. Why?"

"It's my duty, I am the court physician." But the look on Merlin's face told Gaius this wasn't enough. "It will change nothing if I turn against the King," Gaius explained with a small sigh. "And I have you to look after now, I cannot afford to put my life in danger. The King trusts me and I must trust him, even though he has done some terrible things. If I am not on the same side as Uther, I will be turning against Arthur as well, and I can see him becoming a good King, he'll be able to change things and you know that too. I see no good in becoming enemies with Uther."

"But what if he had done something terrible, worse than he normally did, what would you think, would you do anything?"

Gaius raised his eyebrow again, "What are you implying Merlin?" He asked.

The Young Warlock wasn't sure what to say, should he tell Gaius about Morgana? "It's just that he has done so many terrible things, he's had so many people killed just because of who they are." He said, "And some are imprisoned for no reason." He added after a pause.

"I'm sure there's a reason Merlin," Gaius assured him.

But Merlin couldn't quite see a reason why Uther would lock up his own ward, and she was only a child when it happened. Who would do that to a child? He could feel himself getting angry again, but he tried to keep calm. "Yes, but there probably isn't a good enough reason to do it, so why do you still stand by him? If you found out Uther had done something really bad to an innocent person, wouldn't you say something?"

Gaius sighed, "I know it can be very hard for you sometimes Merlin. Your job to protect Arthur, whatever the cost, means that Uther has to be protected too, and sometimes he doesn't deserve that. Our people have suffered a lot because of him, but one day Camelot will welcome those with magic with open arms, and no one will have to live in fear any more. We can't turn against Camelot just because of Uther, we must think of the future, not the past. It's difficult for me as well, I have seen a lot of friends die over the years, but I will stand by my King."

Merlin paused, Gaius had just said some very brave words, and he knew they were the right words. He had never heard Gaius speak so honestly about his thoughts on the King before. Unfortunately Merlin also knew that if he now told Gaius about Morgana, the physician wouldn't try to change things, it would be unlikely that he would do anything about it. He may talk to the King to try and help Morgana, but the King doesn't listen to servants, and Gaius could well also say that there was nothing they could do apart from hope that one day Morgana would be released from the tower.

Arthur might think the same, and Merlin had already thought about the consequences if the Prince turned against his father after finding out about Morgana. Was it true that Camelot had to come first?

"Is there anything in particular that's made you question the King all of a sudden?" Gaius interrupted his thoughts.

Merlin hesitated again, but in the end, he shook his head. This wasn't the day to tell Gaius about Morgana, and he had only known about her for less than twenty-four hours, maybe it would be easier after more time. There was always another day. "No, nothing, it was just something on my mind last night."

Throughout the day Merlin said nothing more in connection to Morgana, even though it was constantly on his mind. He longed to tell Arthur, but for some reason felt he shouldn't, and never really found the right opportunity to tell him the truth, not even when they were preparing to go hunting and Arthur said:

"Merlin, why did my father tell me to be careful of any swamps today?"

"Don't know Sire, maybe there's a...swamp infestation."

Arthur raised his eyebrow and muttered something about Merlin being an idiot, but nothing more was said on the matter.

Nonetheless that night Merlin found himself buzzing with excitement. As soon as he was sure Gaius was asleep he crept out his chamber, taking a torch with him this time so as not to startle Morgana. He was lucky not to get caught as he rushed down corridors and up stairs, so excited he didn't think about whether anyone might be waiting round the next corner. He finally reached the entrance to the tallest tower, the corridor was once more deserted, and the door locked, but without hesitating he unlocked the door with his magic and stepped inside.

Moving up the stairs more cautiously now, Merlin it was just ask dark as before and Merlin was grateful for his torch, he felt a pang of sympathy for Morgana, having to live in this darkness. When Merlin reached the top of the steps he thought once more the tower was empty, he couldn't see Morgana anywhere. But when he called out her name she suddenly appeared from one of the side chambers, a smile on her face.

"Hello Merlin," she said, "I was wondering when I might see you again."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Monster

They talked for so long. They didn't know how much time had passed and they didn't care. Morgana had so many questions to ask about life in Camelot, what it was like working for Arthur, how Uther was as a ruler, what Merlin did in Camelot in his spare time. She seemed to have fond memories of so much, although Merlin supposed after being locked away for so long, all the memories you have of the outside world become precious and loved.

Morgana was a great listener too. She laughed at the right moments, especially when Merlin talked about Arthur being a prat, and gasped with horror and excitement when he shared stories about their adventures to rid Camelot of an enemy, and the challenges they faced on the way. Every now and then Morgana explained how she watched the world of Camelot through her little window, which showed her the courtyard. Sometimes she would count how many knights would be leaving from the courtyard in the morning for some sort of quest, and couldn't help but feel sad when not all of them returned a few days later.

In the end however Merlin couldn't help it, Morgana had been asking so many questions, but he needed to ask some of his own, and there had been something bothering him for a very long time.

He sighed, "Why are you here Morgana?"

At first Morgana didn't understand, or perhaps she was pretending to so she wouldn't have to answer the question. "What do you mean?"

"Why has Uther looked you up in this tower? The King is not perfect, but everything he does he does it for a reason, but I haven't found any reason why you're here."

Morgana fell silent. Suddenly she looked very sad. She looked down at her hands and bit her lip.

"I'm sorry," Merlin said quickly, immediately feeling guilty that he had upset her. "You don't have to tell me, I was just...wondering."

"No, no, it's all right," Morgana said quickly, "I understand why you want to know it's just...the explanation's difficult."

It was Merlin's turn to not quite understand, "Is it complicated?" He asked.

Morgana shook her head, "No it's just..." She couldn't conceal the emotions in her voice. She must have never been asked this question before, and she looked surprised she was finding it so difficult. "It's because...I'm a monster." Morgana suddenly admitted.

"What? Morgana, you're not a monster." Merlin said. He may have only met this girl twice, but already he felt like he knew her, and he was surprised to feel his hurt break at seeing Morgana in such distress.

But Morgana didn't believe him. She shook her head, "No, I am. I was locked up here because I might be a danger to other people, and they might come after me because I'm a monster."

Merlin spoke steadily and calmly, "Morgana, tell me why you're here."

Morgana looked up at his face, and he could see a whirl of emotions in her eyes as she tried to work out if she should tell him. In the end, the new company, a kind face and friendship won over the secrets and commands of the King. However when she spoke it was in a whisper. "I have magic."

_Magic._ The word was a shock to Merlin. He had never considered whether Morgana might have magic, but when he thought about it, it was so obvious. What else Uther would think as a curse? Why else would he lock up his own ward?

Perhaps Uther did have some kindness in his heart, because he hadn't murdered Morgana, he had kept her alive and living in Camelot. He probably was protecting her too from those who believed his words and thought those with magic should be killed. But this was not the right way to protect her or show kindness. Merlin looked at Morgana's face, filled with absolute devastation, and felt nothing but hatred for Uther.

He couldn't help it. Reached out and took her hands. "Morgana, look at me." The King's ward hesitated a little, but then looked up into Merlin's eyes. "You're not a monster. Having magic doesn't make you a monster."

But Morgana shook her head again, her eyes filling with tears. "I am. Uther always said how evil magic was, how dangerous it is. Then one day I just...something terrible happened. I sometimes wondered if I had magic but then...then there was an accident he found out. Uther told me I had been cursed and I needed to be protected, and he never lets me out because I'm a monster."

"Magic is not always evil Morgana, it doesn't make you a monster or a curse. It's something you were born with and you can't blame yourself," Merlin wished he could do more than just tell Morgana not to think she was a monster, but at least he spoke the truth, and he hoped Morgana could see that.

However the King's ward still didn't believe him, "But my magic is out of control!"

"What do you mean?" Merlin was confused, he had assumed Morgana had never used her magic. If she did Uther probably wouldn't look down at her with such sympathy.

"A few days ago..." Merlin realised Morgana was shaking as she spoke. "I was thinking about my magic as I was looking out the window. Sometimes I look out the window and wonder if I could move something with my mind. I'm not allowed to use magic but sometimes I think about it and wonder what I can do with it. There was a cart in the courtyard, and all of a sudden I started feeling angry that I was locked up here and could do nothing but look at the outside world, when all of a sudden I just felt this...burst of energy. And the cart began to roll down the street! It went completely out of control! I made it happen but there was nothing I could do to stop it other than stare."

Merlin couldn't help but laugh with surprise, "That was you?"

Morgana glowered, "It's not funny, people could have been killed!"

"But no one was, I was there on that day and saw the cart roll down the street. We managed to stop it and no one was hurt. You have nothing to worry about Morgana, everyone can lose control of their magic sometimes."

The King's ward sniffed and looked up at Merlin again, her eyes now looked scared, sad and angry all at the same time. "How do you know?" She asked.

Merlin realised then he had made a mistake, he shouldn't have spoken like he knew so much about magic, and now Morgana was suspicious. But then a voice in his head questioned why he should keep this secret from her in the first place? Morgana had just shared her deepest secret, why couldn't he? They could trust each-other, couldn't we? He looked over to see one of the few candles beside Morgana's bed had gone out.

"Because I can do this." I said, and all of a sudden his eyes flashed gold and the candle by her bed was re-lit in the darkness.

Morgana gasped with horror at the sight of the candle, and dived behind Merlin, trembling with fear. Merlin tried not to laugh again.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I have always been told magic was evil...just because I have it myself doesn't mean I don't fear it," Morgana admitted, peering over Merlin's shoulder at the candle as if she wasn't sure if it was friend or foe.

Then Merlin realised he had made another mistake, and felt like a fool. Of course Morgana would fear magic with the poisonous words Uther had drip fed her throughout her life. How terrible must it be to fear yourself? And now she knew someone else who had this same 'curse', of course she wouldn't react well.

He looked round at Morgana, "It's all right. It's not going to hurt you. Like I said, not all magic is evil. All the terrible things Uther has told you about sorcery, he's wrong."

Morgana sat up again slowly, watching the candle carefully, but she seemed a little calmer. A small smile even appeared on her face. "Of all the people in Camelot who has magic, it's the Prince's manservant?"

Merlin nodded, but then stopped and stared at the candle as if he was the one afraid of it. What had he done? How many times had he been told not to reveal his magic, then within moments he had revealed his secret to someone he hardly knew? They may trust each other, but Morgana was so scared of magic she could tell Uther.

"I have no idea why I did that." He admitted, "I haven't revealed my magic to anyone. This is only the second time I've met you and yet I've just..." He looked down at his hands.

It was Morgana's turn to speak softly and take Merlin's hands, "It's because you feel a connection. I don't know why, maybe it's our magic, maybe it's because we feel so lonely because of our magic, but whatever the reason, I finally know someone who carries the same burden."

Merlin looked up at her, he wondered why his heart fluttered when he looked up in her bright eyes, but he knew Morgana was right. There was some sort of connection, he had never felt anything like it before, but it was there. And now he had someone who shared the same troubled burden, and he didn't feel so lonely anymore.

"I used to think there was something wrong with me when I first realised I had magic, but it's nothing to be ashamed of, it's something you're born with and it doesn't make you a monster," he said.

There was a slight pause, Morgana nodded in agreement. Finally she understood she wasn't the monster. Suddenly the two realised they were still holding hands and quickly let go.

"How have you managed to avoid being caught for so long?" Morgana asked to break the silence, "I sometimes see people executed in the courtyard for the simple crime of having magic, how have you managed to keep it so secret?"

So Merlin found himself talking again, explaining how he had been sent to Camelot by his mother and ending up having the job of Arthur's manservant. He didn't mention the Dragon or his destiny, but he told Morgana about all the times he had had to protect Arthur with his magic, and how he had managed to keep it hidden for so long.

They talked for such a long time, all about their stories and experiences of magic, they suddenly realised the sun had begun to rise over Camelot, and it was time Merlin had to leave before someone noticed he was missing.

"You'll come back?" Morgana said hopefully as they walked down to the door together.

"Of course, I promise," he said hurriedly, a smile on his face as he opened the door and slipped out into the wide world.

* * *

_Hmm, I'm wondering if I put Merlin revealing his magic to Morgana too soon in this story? Trouble is I've planned all the chapters and felt this was the best one to put the reveal in. Oh well, it doesn't seem_ too_ bad, I hope it was ok :)_

_Anywho, I've recently started a new Merlin community! :D Yay my first one! It's especially for Mergana stories so if you know any good Merlin/Morgana stories that's packed with emotion and could be in the community, let me know! Ive already got some good stories on there. I'm also looking for staff, so if you're someone who likes to read lots of Mergana you'd be a real help :) send me a review or PM about it if you're interested. Thank you! :)_


	12. Chapter 12

_Wow, we've reached 100 reviews everyone! A HUGE thank you to all those who have reviewed so far, I didn't expect so many, and I don't think I've ever reached 100 reviews so quickly, so thank you, you guys are amazing, seriously :)_

_Anyway, here is the next chapter, another slightly shorter one, but I hope it's OK :)_

_Oh and my new book I have written, which I mentioned AGES ago (chapter 3) has now been edited, had an author's note added and is now almost ready to go on the kindle! :D Just a few more things need to be done, including the front cover, which is being made by fanfiction's very own Astiza! :)_

* * *

Chapter 12

The Trouble with Destiny

The next morning, Merlin felt like he was on a high, though he wasn't quite sure why. Staying up all night had left him exhausted, which Arthur noticed as he claimed he was being more of a useless manservant than normal, and he had learned how cruel Uther could be to an innocent child, who was now a young woman locked away in a tower believing she was a monster. But despite this he had really enjoyed his conversation with Morgana, and had found someone with the same secret as him. It made him feel a lot happier and had to resist humming absent-mindedly to himself, or else he got some very strange looks.

And there was something else as well. Merlin kept on thinking about how he kept on looking into Morgana's eyes, so bright and beautiful, and when he took her hands, his heart had skipped a beat. Merlin couldn't work out why, or perhaps he did know why, he just didn't want to admit it, not yet.

Unfortunately, Merlin's morning of sleep-deprived happiness was not going to last forever.

_Merlin._

The Young Warlock froze in mid-polish of one of Arthur's boots. The voice had taken his sleepy mind by surprise, and he hadn't expected the Dragon to require his presence, there was nothing the matter and usually it was Merlin bursting in on the Dragon.

_Merlin._

Well, he wasn't going to stop calling his name and there was something in the Dragon's voice that made Merlin feel a little nervous, like how he felt when his mother had discovered he had used magic when he was a small boy, and she was calling him over, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. He was in trouble, but he had no idea why.

_Merlin!_

Sighing, Merlin stopped polishing and crept out Arthur's chamber. The Prince already thought he was acting strangely with his yawning, docile smiles and occasional humming, he didn't want to be caught sneaking down into the dungeons without a suitable explanation. Fortunately, Arthur was nowhere to be seen, so Merlin hurried through the corridor and down the stone steps towards he Great Dragon.

Kilgharrah was waiting for Merlin when he arrived, sitting on his great rock as he always did. He stared down at the Young Warlock, making him suddenly feel very small.

"Is there a problem?" Merlin asked, trying to stifle a yawn and breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"I'm afraid there is Merlin, although you might not think there is."

The Dragon was doing an impression of Merlin's mother again. The Young Warlock looked at him closely, as if he was trying to work out what he was implying. "If I don't know what the problem is, you better tell me." He said.

"It's about Morgana."

Merlin froze. "You know about Morgana?" He hesitated, "wait, of course you know, you know everything about that castle, and Morgana's been locked up for years." He could feel himself growing angry, "why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Because I feared what might happen," Kilgharrah said, annoyingly calm as he was most of the time, "but it turns out doing nothing had lead to the same problems I had feared."

"What are you talking about?"

The first time the Dragon called Merlin down to talk about Morgana, he had looked a little awkward about the situation, and he was doing it again, shifting his feet uncomfortably on his rock. "It's about your destiny..."

_Everything is about my destiny with you_ Merlin thought to himself, but instead said, "What about my destiny?"

"You and Morgana are not set on the same paths of destiny."

"So?" Surely there were hundreds of different destinies, and paths of life people lived by. If they weren't on the same path, so what?

The Dragon snorted, and looked annoyed. "She is causing a distraction"

"Of course she is!" Merlin snapped, angry that the Dragon had kept Morgana a secret and was frustrated that all he cared about was his destiny. "I want to help her, Morgana is frightened and alone and she has no one. She thinks she's a monster because Uther looked her up since she was a child. I'm one of the few people who can give her company and she can talk to and she doesn't deserve to be locked up like an animal."

But these words were falling on deaf ears. "It is true," said Kilgharrah, "Morgana has had an unfortunate past, but it is the future that's more important, and the lives of the people living in Camelot. The reason why I am so concerned about your destiny is because Morgana is against it."

"What are you talking about?" How could Morgana be against something she knew nothing about?

The Dragon stopped beating around the bush, and looked very serious. "It is said that someone will bring an end to Arthur's rule, to your destiny, and cause Camelot to fall. That person is Morgana."

Merlin was so angry he could feel his ears burning. "You're wrong, you're lying."

"I'm not lying, and I am never wrong. I wouldn't tell you unless it was of great importance. You can believe me or not but I implore you not to see Morgana again. At the very least she's a distraction," he added when Merlin started yawning again. "You're spending your whole time with her or thinking about her, and it's harmless when Camelot is safe, but you know this will not last forever, and soon Arthur will need your help."

It was Merlin's turn to shift uncomfortably on his feet. He wasn't sure what to think.

"Trust me Merlin." Kilgharrah spoke softly.

"So, what are you suggesting?" Merlin asked slowly. He already knew what the Dragon was suggesting, but he needed to hear it anyway.

"You need to put Arthur, your friend, Camelot and your destiny before Morgana or else I fear what else might happen." And the Dragon did sound afraid, something Merlin was definitely not used to. "You need to stop seeing her."

Despite the Dragon's fear, and Merlin knowing this was what he was going to say, he still felt shocked and angry. "But-"

"All the times you have asked for my help in your time of need, I think in return I deserve you to listen to my new request." Kilgharrah interrupted, "I know you don't like my riddles, so I am saying this plain and clear. For the sake of Camelot, stop visiting Morgana."

There was a pause. Merlin felt so conflicted. How could he do this to Morgana, who was relying on him? Surely the Dragon was wrong...But he was right when he said Camelot was more important. Merlin felt like he was being forced to make a terrible decision.

In the end, the only answer he could come up with was, "I'll try."

Kilgharrah didn't look very happy. "That's not a good enough response Merlin."

"Well, it's the best you're going to get for now," Merlin said bitterly, hating the Dragon for making him make such a choice. Without another word he turned round and walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

_Hmm, I'm not too sure about this chapter, not much really happens in it I'm afraid, and there's not much Mergana. But to make up for it I have recently turned my Mergana two-shot story 'Parallel Love' into a three-shot! Feel free to read if you're interested and satisfy any Mergana needs you may have! :)_

_Anyway, hope you like this chapter all the same. The beginning bit is from Merlin's point of view, but after that it switches to Morgana's._

* * *

Chapter 13

The Bubbling Anger

Merlin did not go back to polishing shoes after the meeting with the Great Dragon. He intended to, he just wanted to carry on like nothing had happened, like the conversation didn't occur. But every thump that went through his body as he went up the stone steps Merlin grew and more and more angry and confused. In the end he found himself running to the roof of the castle, desperate for some air. He needed to get as far away from the Dragon as he could and he needed to think straight, he could feel his anger bubbling in his veins. But on the way he was careful to avoid the corridor that lead to the tallest tower.

There was a chill in the air as Merlin gazed over the spectacular view of the City of Camelot, which eventually gave way to rolling fields and woodland in the distance. It was a beautiful place, its King may be cruel and deadly, but the actual Kingdom, was beautiful. Merlin realised he had fallen in love with Camelot, he wasn't just protecting it and the future King because he had been told to, he was doing it because he wanted to.

And now the Great Dragon was telling him that for the sake of this Kingdom, he had to stop seeing Morgana. She was beautiful too, and the second time he went to visit her, it wasn't because he felt he needed to.

Surely the Dragon had made a mistake? There had been a connection between them, so how is it possible for Merlin and Morgana to have the opposite destinies? She may have been treated cruelly by Uther, but to bring the end to Arthur, her childhood friend? No, that wasn't possible.

And yet they say opposites attract... and could he really take that risk, and sacrifice his destiny for someone he had met twice?

He told the Dragon he would try to not see Morgana, and try he would, as he still wasn't sure if he could stop seeing her, or what was the right thing to do. Already he desperately wanted to visit her again, and he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Merlin took a deep breath as the sun began to set over Camelot, and tried to work out what he should do.

* * *

One week had passed. One week with absolutely no sign of Merlin. Morgana passed up and down her chamber impatiently, anger bubbling in her veins. Seven days and she hadn't heard anything from Merlin, even though he had promised to come back. Where was he?

The morning after Morgana and Merlin had their conversation through the night Gwen had arrived, and noticed how bright and happy her Lady was that morning.

"A good night's sleep my Lady?" She asked, she knew Morgana suffered with nightmares sometimes.

"I suppose you could say that," Morgana shrugged, unable to get the grin off her face. She briefly considered telling Gwen what had happened that night, about her strange visitor. But then she remembered the secrets she and Merlin had shared together, and didn't think he was the sort of secret she could share with anyone, not yet.

Then another thought came to her mind, "Although Gwen, I did get quite hungry in the night, would it be possible to bring up some more food?" Morgana asked, hoping she didn't sound too suspicious, but she couldn't exactly ask Gwen to bring up twice as much food as she normally did, as she was probably going to have a visitor in the night and she wanted to share a midnight feast with him.

Gwen however didn't suspect anything, she just smiled and said "Of course my Lady, once I've cleaned your rooms I'll bring up some more food right away."

Morgana smiled and thanked Gwen, looking forward even more to Merlin's visit.

But Merlin never came. She stayed up the whole night and waited, and he never arrived.

Morgana was bitterly disappointed. However she understood, the Prince's manservant couldn't spend every single night with the King's imprisoned ward, even though she wished he could, he was too busy for that. She ended up having eat a meal for two on her own, which made her feel even more alone than ever, but she didn't want Gwen to become suspicious or worry. By early morning Morgana finally managed to drift off to sleep, accepting the fact she would not get any visitors.

The next night the same thing happened, Morgana had expected Merlin to come and he had never arrived. She was so disappointed, but she supposed there must be something keeping him away, he hadn't promised he would visit her _every_ day. The night after that Merlin didn't turn up either, and Morgana was feeling even more alone, but he would come soon, wouldn't he?

But when Merlin did promise he would see her again, he did sound a little...hasty. Did he really mean what he said?

That night Morgana had a nasty dream. She dreamt that she was somehow out of Camelot, and in the middle of a forest, although she didn't know where exactly. A storm was brewing overhead as she waited for Merlin to come and see her, but he had vanished within the trees. She was alone again. It was a terrible feeling, the thought that wherever she was, the same thing would happen. Merlin would not come back for her.

In the morning Gwen came again, and saw how sad her Lady had suddenly become, and was worried about her. Morgana tried to tell her it was just a bad night, but Gwen as so concerned she kept asking, before Morgana eventually snapped:

"Wouldn't anyone be like this if they spent their whole lives locked up in a tower?" She saw the sorrow in Gwen's face at this, and quickly apologised. "I'm just tired," she said with a sigh.

By the fourth and fifth night Morgana didn't expect Merlin to come, yet still she found herself sitting up for half the night, as if she was still waiting for him to arrive. She was saddened by this fresh loneliness. She knew she shouldn't feel so foolish, she had only met this person twice, but there had been a connection, they had shared their deepest secrets, he told her she wasn't a monster and she had believed him. Why did he not want to see her again?

By the sixth night Morgana was starting to get angry. Merlin _had _promised to visit her again, she was _sure_ he said he would see her again, so why had he not come back? During the day she looked out her window and saw Merlin walk through the courtyard, so he was definitely in Camelot, not on one of his adventures with Arthur like he had told her about. Why hadn't he come to see her yet? Why would he lie to her and abandon her? Maybe he had lied about his adventures with Arthur as well, if he could so easily lie about see her again.

But he had showed her his magic, that wasn't a lie. They had a connection, she had already been abandoned once, why would he do this to her?

Then the seventh night came, and Morgana found herself pacing up and down, alone and furious. She should never have trusted that boy with magic, they had only met twice. He just wanted to know why she locked up in the tower, to satisfy his own curiosity, and then he left her alone. How many nights in her life had she spent alone? Then for a few precious days she had some company, and now that company had gone.

Morgana even began to feel hatred towards Merlin. She had felt so close to him, but clearly he didn't care about her. She even felt like telling Uther that his son's manservant had magic. He had abandoned her, so why should she keep his secret?

Suddenly, Morgana heard the door to the tallest tower swing open, and heard someone coming up the stairs. This couldn't be Uther or Gwen, so who was it? She rushed to the top of the stairs.

Merlin stood there, an apologetic smile on his face and a bunch of flowers in his hand. Only two words were on his lips:

"I'm sorry."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The Flowers

Morgana stared at Merlin, a look of almost horror on her face. Merlin stood there on the top of the stairs, clutching the flowers in his hand, hating the silent seconds that ticked by. He didn't know what else to say apart from sorry, his throat had closed up with nerves and worry. It was like their first meeting again.

Finally, it was Morgana who spoke. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.

This was not what Merlin had been hoping. He wasn't sure how she would react when he turned up at her doorstep, after a week of silence. He had hoped she would be at least pleased to see him, but she was staring at him as if he was a stranger.

"I...I've come to visit you again, like I promised," he said slowly, taking another step forward. Morgana took a step back.

"It's been a week!" She snapped.

Merlin couldn't help but shudder at Morgana's words. Her eyes flashed with anger and he didn't like the way she was staring at him. Merlin knew she had a right to be angry, to look down at him, it had been too long, he shouldn't have stopped seeing her so suddenly. Why did he ever listen to that damn dragon?

"I know..." He began slowly. "I'm so sorry Morgana. I brought you some flowers..." _To show that I'm sorry_ he wanted to say, but shyness, nerves and shame overcame him. He just stared at the floor and held out the flowers.

Morgana gazed down at them. The soft scent of the flowers floated to her nose. She took in the bright colours, the light purples, whites and yellows and the delicate petals. Memories came flooding back of summers lazing around in the Camelot grounds, playing in the grass, without a care in the world...

"I picked them this morning," Merlin explained, he didn't mention to Morgana that he used magic to touch them up, to make them look a little brighter. Autumn was on the way and there were few flowers left, they had just began to droop. "I didn't think you got many flowers."

"Erm," Morgana slowly reached out and took the flowers, trying to avoid looking up at Merlin's face. She hadn't expected the flowers and it was true, she had never been given flowers before, she didn't know what to say.

Merlin could see the confusion on her face. He wondered if flowers were the right thing, he had no idea what he should have got Morgana, and he didn't want to ask anyone what he should give girls in the form of an apology, that was cause too many awkward questions and probably a lot of teasing, but he had heard flowers were quite romantic.

The last week for Merlin had been terrible. The Dragon had told him that seeing Morgana would be a distraction for his destiny, but not seeing Morgana was even _more_ of a distraction. He missed the person he could share his secrets with, who he had that mysterious connection to, no one else would make him stay up all night, just talking. And he hated to think what was Morgana thinking while she had spent her nights alone. Was she missing him as much as she was missing her, was she angry that he hadn't come back so soon?

"I've been abandoned once in my life Merlin," Morgana said to him, "and then you left me."

"I know, but I felt a regret Uther never does, I have been pained by our separation too," Merlin tried to explain, he wondered if it was right to use Uther to not make him look so bad, but he wasn't thinking straight, Morgana's words had pained him. "I've just been so busy and..." he sighed, "I've been missing you so much, and I promise it won't happen again."

Morgana looked at him long and hard, but the regret must have been clear in Merlin's eyes, and the flowers appeared to have softened her temper. She stared down at them before sighing and saying, "You'd better come in I suppose."

Merlin couldn't help but smile, although it was more out of relief. He followed Morgana to her main chamber, where she sat down on the bed like she did before, and he joined her. She didn't say anything at first, just stared down at the flowers, which was making Merlin feel awkward, but he was relieved he had been allowed back into the tower, that was his biggest fear, to have the door slammed in his face, but it seemed the worst was over now.

Apart from a voice that suddenly spoke inside Merlin's head.

_Young Warlock, what are you doing? _Demanded the frustrated voice of the Dragon.

Merlin's head involuntarily jerked to one side at the sudden sound of the Dragon's voice, but fortunately Morgana didn't notice. He tried to hold back a frustrated groan, he had told the Dragon he would try not to see Morgana, and try he had, but he hadn't thought about how Kilgharrah would react if he actually went back to see Morgana. He didn't sound impressed, but Merlin ignored the voice. This Dragon clearly didn't understand Merlin's feelings towards Morgana.

"So, have you been up to anything this past week?" He asked Morgana, trying to strike up conversation.

It didn't work. "I'm locked up in a tower Merlin, what do you think I get up to?"

Merlin squirmed a little, "Oh right...of course."

_Merlin_ the Dragon spoke louder in his ear, doing another impression of his mother as well as an annoyed Gaius, but the Young Warlock still ignored him.

"Do you like the flowers?" He asked.

"Yes, they're lovely," Morgana admitted, stroking the soft petals in between her fingers. "They remind me of when I was...free." She gave a sad sigh as she thought again of her childhood before she was locked away from the world.

_This has to stop Merlin._

"You know Uther may have trapped your body inside this tower," Merlin suddenly blurted out, his usual shyness forgotten as he tried to ignore the Dragon's voice, "but he hasn't trapped your heart."

_Think of Camelot, Young Warlock, this cannot go on._

Morgana looked up into Merlin's eyes, "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well..." Merlin was feeling uncomfortable again, his shyness had returned, he could feel his ears going pink. "I know we haven't met many times, but already I feel like I know you so well, and I look into your eyes and I still see a spark there Morgana, and despite all that has happened you're still a kind, forgiving person. Uther hasn't taken that away from you."

Morgana was now the one who was looking uncomfortable, "I wouldn't say I was very kind or forgiving..." She began.

The Dragon's voice was getting louder, _I told you to stop seeing her Merlin, or have you forgotten that already?_

"No!" Merlin snapped, his reply was intended for the Dragon, but Morgana thought he was speaking to her, and looked surprised. "Err I mean," Merlin said quickly, when he realised she would have no idea who he was actually talking to, "I mean you are a forgiving person, because I left you waiting for too long but you let me into your tower again, you didn't have to do that."

"Well, it wasn't an easy decision." Morgana shrugged, she was looking annoyed again, the flowers had distracted her from the true reason why he had brought them, and now he had reminded her again.

"But I regretted every single moment I spent away from you," Merlin confessed.

_That's enough, Young Warlock._

This was not the response Morgana had been expecting, she didn't think he would be suffering like her."Well...I am pleased you came back, but I wish it hadn't taken you so long. I mean, I understand if you can't visit every night, but a week?" She stared down at the flowers again.

_Merlin._

"But I promise it won't happen again." There was a pause, "You know they make me think of you," Merlin admitted, nodding down at the flowers, wanting to distract Morgana again from the week he had been gone. "They're beautiful like you."

_Merlin!_

Morgana gave a small smile, "Flattery won't work on me you know."

"I was being honest." Merlin said, and it was true, the flowers had made him think of Morgana.

The Dragon's voice was getting even louder. _Merlin!_

"So despite being so busy, you managed to pick me some flowers?" Morgana said.

Merlin nodded, "The last of the season, although you should have seen Arthur's face when he saw me walking around with a bunch of flowers," he laughed, and Morgana managed to smile too.

_MERLIN!_

The Great Dragon was so loud Merlin's ears burned, and took him by such surprise that he almost toppled off the bed. He automatically clamped his hands over his ringing ears, the voice of the Dragon still echoing inside his head, and he screwed up his eyes in pain.

"Merlin! Merlin?" A soft hand, and a gentle voice, reached up to Merlin's ears. He opened his eyes to see Morgana leaning over him, looking panicked and worried at the Young Warlock's sudden collapse. She sighed with relief when she saw his eyes open. "Merlin, are you all right?"

Merlin shakily pulled himself back up into a sitting position, feeling a little shaken, but he looked up into the worried eyes of Morgana and said, "Of course I'm all right, I'm with you now."

After that the Dragon stopped bothering him, perhaps Kilgharrah had at last given up on trying to persuade the Young Warlock to stay away from Morgana. The ringing in Merlin's ears soon faded and he and Morgana began a proper conversation again, at first tense, but soon the two of them began to relax and they easily found things to talk about.

Merlin would never find out how angry Morgana had actually felt about him abandoning her. The shock of him suddenly arriving, the flowers, and then suddenly collapsing on her bed had hidden most of Morgana's rage. She believed Merlin when he said that he had regretted not visiting for so long, but she never truly believed in promises when he swore he wouldn't do it again.

The flowers stayed with Morgana after Merlin left, she suddenly realised she had nothing to put them in, and Uther or Gwen would surely see the flowers and grow suspicious, but Merlin smiled and told her not to worry about it, the flowers would be fine.

And sure enough, despite having little sunlight and water, the flowers continued to live. Morgana knew Merlin must have used magic on them, and his spell was more powerful than he had realised, because even as winter drew in, the flowers never drooped or faded. They stayed fresh and strong as the first time Merlin had given them to Morgana, for a very long time.

* * *

_I'm concerned this chapter may have been a bit cheesy, I'm not that great on romance, but I hoped you like the chapter all the same! :) I shall use the excuse of that I__'m really excited today as I have officially got into my first choice of University! :D I'm going to be studying Ancient and Medieval History, and I could even do a module on the legend of Merlin and Arthur, woop! :)_


	15. Chapter 15

_A couple of announcements before we get started on the chapter:_

_No. 1: I have a new book on the kindle! :D It's called 'Do You See What I See?' and is a series of short stories and poems, the subject line means it isn't for everyone, but it's something very important to me and I wanted to share it by putting it on the kindle. There's more details about it on my profile if you're interested._

_No. 2: I'm afraid I'm going away on holiday this week, so this is the last chapter you will get for a little while. I'm not going away for very long, and I promise to update as soon as I can when I get back, but it will be some time. I will probably update again by the end of August, if not the very beginning of September._

_Well that's it, the good news and the bad news I guess! But anyway, I hope you like the chapter :)_

* * *

Chapter 15

The Black Wing

Weeks passed, and there was no more word from the Dragon. Merlin assumed that he had finally given up trying to interfere with his affairs, the Young Warlock didn't want to listen any more anyway, perhaps Kilgarrah knew that. The rest of Camelot was also fairly quiet, there was no mysterious stranger appearing at the gates ready to stir up trouble, no magical creatures determined to kill Uther, or his son. Merlin was actually being a normal manservant doing ordinary manservant jobs, rather than having to save the Kingdom at the same time. Apart from one thing.

Every other evening, a few hours after darkness fell, Merlin crept out of his chambers and headed up to the tallest tower. Morgana was always waiting for him at the top of the stone steps, with a smile on her face as he unlocked the door with his magic and entered the tower.

At first Morgana was still a little frustrated that Merlin had abandoned her for so long, but over time the Young Warlock continued to visit her like he had promised, and she began to relax a little more, persuading herself that it wouldn't happen again, she could trust Merlin.

In the end the two of them worked out a routine. It was quickly discovered that Merlin couldn't visit Morgana up in the tower every night, not very many of their visits were short, as they often found things to discuss that kept them talking until the sky was tinged with light pinks and purples. While Morgana could use the excuse of bad dreams if Gwen or Uther caught her sleeping late or having a nap in the middle of the afternoon, Merlin had no such excuse, and got very little sympathy from Arthur when he was caught having a dose during mid-armour polishing. They eventually decided therefore that they would see each other every other night, so they could catch up on the sleep they had missed.

Over time, Merlin and Morgana found themselves growing ever closer. They shared all their secrets and thoughts with each other, while telling tales of adventures and childhood memories. Merlin thought things couldn't get any better, a quiet Camelot, nightly visits with Morgana and no disturbing Dragon.

But he should have known, this peaceful time for Camelot wouldn't last so long. In fact it was merely the calm before a storm, which began on a chilly autumn night.

That evening everything started off as normal. Merlin arrived unnoticed at Morgana's tower, and she was waiting him on the top of the stairs with a smile on her face.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting," Merlin said, slightly breathless from running up the stairs. He didn't even realise he was in a rush, and that he was so excited about seeing Morgana. "Arthur said unless I wanted to spend tomorrow afternoon in the stocks I had better give his chamber a _proper _clean out." He explained.

Morgana chuckled at this, she always loved to hear stories about Arthur, and hearing stories about him getting annoyed or grumpy. "Don't worry about it, come in." The two of them went over and sat on Morgana's bed as they always did. "So, apart from cleaning out Arthur's chamber, how was your day?" She asked,

"Same as usual really," Merlin admitted, shrugging. "Nothing exciting happened, how about your day?"

Morgana shrugged, "Nothing really," she said. She opened her mouth to say something else, when she paused. "Did you hear that?"

For a moment Merlin wondered what she was talking about, but then he hard it too. It sounded like a great gust wind, swooping past the window. But there was hardly a breeze that night. Merlin and Morgana stared at each other, both fearful of the sudden noise, and hoping it was just their imagination. But then it happened again. Morgana turned her head slowly to the window and gasped with horror. Merlin turned just in time to see it too.

A huge black wing swept past Morgana's little window, making both of them jump. It looked as if it was made of leather and reminded Merlin of a bat's wing, its enormous shape filling the window. Once the wing had passed there was a great, terrible screech from whatever creature the wing belonged too, causing both Merlin and Morgana to clamp their hands over their ears.

"What was that?" Morgana cried out.

"I don't know-" Merlin barely finished his sentence when the same black wing appeared again, or maybe it was from a different creature. A winged monster, or probably more, flying around Camelot. The two leaped up from the bed, the giant black wing too close for comfort, there was another cry from the beast. "I have to tell Arthur," Merlin blurted out suddenly, surely Arthur would know what was happening, or he needed to know, Camelot was in danger.

But Morgana looked fearful, she didn't like the idea of being left alone with huge black wings flying past her window, or Merlin heading out into possible danger to look for Arthur, who knows where the creatures were? "Are you sure?"

"I have to do something," Merlin said, he couldn't exactly lean out the window to see what the monsters were or what they were doing, he would get his head bitten off, literally. But he was concerned about Morgana being left alone too. "Will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine," Morgana nodded determinedly.

Another monster flew past the window at such a speed the bed covers fluttered in its breeze. "I'll be back as soon as I can," Merlin promised, rushing out the tower. Morgana nodded, trying to hide her nerves and worry as she watched him disappear.

It was cooler outside in the corridor, making Merlin shiver. He heard another distant shriek from the creature, and quickly hurried towards Arthur's chamber. Only to find Arthur running down the same corridor in the opposite direction.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried out, almost running into his manservant, surprise on his face. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I...I heard a cry, there are creatures..." Merlin began.

Arthur nodded, "I heard them too, they're like nothing I've ever seen before, but they're trying to attack the castle! I have to go and tell my father."

"I'll come with you!" Merlin said automatically, following Arthur as he dashed down the corridor, the sound of the creature's cries echoing in his ears, and the image of the black wing flying past Morgana's window hanging on his mind.

Within a few minutes the calm had vanished, and the storm had arrived.

* * *

_Sorry I've ended it on a rubbish chapter, and a short one, I'm in a bit of a rush with the whole getting packed for holiday etc. I hope it wasn't too bad, and hopefully it won't be long before I come back to reveal what happens next! :) Reviews much appreciated! :)_


	16. Chapter 16

_For those of you who have been waiting for this chapter - thank you for your patience. I had a nice holiday but it's great to be back home and writing again! I hope this chapter's all right :)_

* * *

Chapter 16

The Wyverns

The lines of age and stress on Uther's face seemed to deepen in the dim candlelight as he glowered in anger, frustration and probably a little fear as well. He was staring down at the collection of books and papers that were scattered across the old oak table in his chamber. A group of Knights, Arthur, Gaius and Merlin, were gathered around the table, waiting in silence for Uther to say something. In the distance they could hear a shriek from another one of the creatures as they continued to circle around the castle.

Merlin wasn't sure how long they had been standing around this table, trying to work out a solution to this sudden threat. It was just starting to rain, but not what Merlin would call proper rain, it was a thin sheet of drizzle that tapped gently but insistently against the window, interrupting the tense silence. The sound made him shiver, he hoped Morgana was safe and warm inside her tower. He wondered if a real storm would start, but apart from the rain the weather seemed to remain fairly calm.

"These creatures must be stopped," Uther said suddenly, even though there was no point in saying it, everyone already knew that they needed to be stopped, the question was how. Merlin supposed Uther was just desperate to break the unnerving silence. "What did you call them again?" the King asked, turning to Gaius.

The physician cleared his throat, "They're called Wyverns Sire, creatures of magic and cousins of the dragon." This took Merlin by surprise. Why were relatives of the dragon attacking Camelot? Surely Kilgarrah would have put a stop to this? Yet still they circled the castle.

"Why are they here?" Uther demanded, Merlin could see his eyes turning to stone as the word 'magic' was mentioned.

Gaius shrugged, "I'm afraid I do not know Sire, this seems like an unprovoked attack, unless anyone from Camelot stumbled across a nest, but Wyverns do not live in these parts, they have no territory to protect. It is possible that they have run out of food so have come here to find some, but unlike other creatures who have done similar things they did not start at the lower villages and hunt cattle, they came straight to the castle without warning."

There was a pause as these words sunk in. Uther rested his chin on his hand, which was balled into a tight fist, as he thought. "Is it possible someone or something commanded the creatures? Told them to come here?" He suggested.

That would only make matters worse, but Gaius didn't seem so sure. "Very few people are able to speak the language of the Dragons Sire, so it is unlikely an unknown force told them to come here."

"They are merely creatures of evil bent on creating havoc for my people," Uther snorted, the anger clear in his voice. He now leaned both hands on the table and stared at the collection of books and parchments scattered across it. "How do we stop these monsters then?"

"That's the problem Sire, they are creatures of magic so they can only be stopped by magic," Gaius explained. Merlin tried to suppress a sigh, he knew that if only magic could defeat them, only he could defeat them.

But, as always, Uther didn't listen to this advice. He turned his head and looked expectantly at Arthur instead, who got the message.

"My men are prepared to the defend the castle Sire, we will rid the beasts no matter what the cost." He said.

Uther was about to speak again, when suddenly there was a shriek from one of the creatures and Merlin turned just in time to see part of a huge, black body collide with the side of the castle with such force the walls shook and dust floated down from the ceiling. A few people stumbled, but it was more because of surprise rather than the force that knocked them backwards. People in the room stared at each other, shocked, trying not to give away the terror in their eyes.

"We have no time to lose!" Uther cried out angrily, as there came another shriek from a creature. They didn't see it this time, but a few tiles could be seen dropping from the roof through the window. The monsters were going to tear the castle apart.

"I have sent a knight out to try and take a closer look at what is happening outside," Arthur explained hastily, "he will be able to tell us what is happening and what we will be having to face. He should be back soon."

Uther tried to keep himself calm, he took a deep breath and nodded. "We shall wait for your knight and see if he comes back with any news."

Silence fell at that. Arthur was looking worried, and Merlin knew he must be thinking of the Knight he had sent out in the rain, hoping the creatures wouldn't spot him and that he would be all right. There had been no reports of deaths yet, but shut in this chamber, Merlin felt they had left themselves in the dark. He stared at the flickering candles dotted around the table, and tried to stay focused. Whatever the Knight said when he came back, he would still have to do something. Arthur would not be able to fight these Wyverns with non-magical weapons. What could he do? His thoughts went to Morgana again, and he hoped she was safe.

As Uther went over to Arthur and his Knights, and began quietly discussing tactics when facing the creatures, Gaius walked over to Merlin. The Young Warlock was surprised to see the old man's eyes filled with suspicion.

"You wouldn't have anything to do with this, Merlin?" He asked quietly.

Merlin was shocked. "No! Of course not!" He snapped loudly, making a few heads look up in their direction. He lowered his voice quickly, "do you really think I'd tell a load of dragons to go and attack Camelot?"

Gaius sighed, "Of course you wouldn't, I know that, and I didn't mean it like that. But this _is_ a very unprovoked attack, it is not like the Wyverns to do this, I was wondering if you knew anything about why they've come here."

"No, I'm just as surprised as everyone else." Merlin admitted.

"It is very strange...And I was surprised I didn't find you in your chamber Merlin, when I was awoken by the creatures I went to find you, but you weren't there." Gaius added, Merlin could hear the worry in his voice that must have gone through the physician's mind when he discovered his nephew had disappeared and there were monsters roaming outside.

"Err," he quickly thought of an excuse, "I heard the creatures almost as soon as they arrived and left to find Arthur."

Gaius nodded, but didn't look convinced. "But I don't know why you didn't wake me, and that we didn't wake at the same time."

Merlin shrugged. "I'm sorry Gaius, I wasn't thinking straight, I just run out my chamber. Maybe it's something to do with my magic, I could...sense them coming."

He hated lying to Gaius, but now was not the time to admit he had been secretly meeting a supposedly dead woman in the middle of the night. Gaius seemed to accept this excuse anyway, and he nodded. "I just wondered, but this is all very peculiar...You must be careful when facing these creatures, Merlin." He said, and the worry returned to his voice and eyes.

Before Merlin could reply, someone burst into the room. He turned round to see a young Knight with short, black hair and hazelnut eyes, his pale skin flushed pink from running, and he was breathing heavily. His armour and hair was soaked with the rain.

"There are at least five of them Sire," the Knight managed to say, looking at both Arthur and Uther, fear in his eyes. "They're attacking the castle's towers-"

Arthur didn't need to hear any more, he turned to his men. "Arm yourselves," he commanded, before thanking the breathless Knight for his errand. "You will be richly rewarded for your bravery, and we shall be rid of these creatures by sunrise," Arthur promised, looking at those in the chamber, although Merlin wasn't quite sure who exactly he was saying this promise to.

The sound of the rain was drowned out as Arthur barked orders and the Knights prepared themselves for battle. Uther wished his son good luck before the Prince turned to Merlin. "Are you coming with me?" He asked.

For a moment, Merlin hesitated. He thought of Morgana, shut up in her tallest tower, she must be terrified of the creatures and she was all alone. He had promised her he would be back as soon as he could, and now he had attended the meeting and knew what was happening, he could go back and protect her.

But he had Camelot to protect too, and his friend who would one day become King, he couldn't afford to let Arthur die tonight. The Prince was so used to his manservant and friend being with him when facing such demons he was actually expecting him to come. Could he really let him down?

Another creature screeched through the silence. And Merlin briefly thought about how he was getting sick of making these tough decisions.

The Young Warlock looked up into Arthur's eyes, and said, "of course, I'll always be by your side."


	17. Chapter 17

_This chapter is another short one, but it goes back to Morgana's point of view of what's happening. Hope you like! :) _

_Oh, and I've just discovered that Merlin series 5 returns 29th September, woo! :D That's the UK date, don't know if the dates for any other countries are different, but I thought I should share that with you in case some of you didn't know._

_Speaking of Saturday night TV - Doctor Who's returned! :D For those who watched it - what did you think of Asylum of the Daleks? Me and my friends had a couple emotional breakdowns... thought it was so good though!_

_Anyway, I'll let you get on with the chapter now. Please review! :)_

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Chapter 17

The Red Eyes

Morgana strained her neck out her little window as far as she dared, watching the air to keep an eye out for the terrible, black-winged beasts, and also looking to the ground to see if anyone had emerged from the castle. She didn't spot the young Knight who had crept out of the castle to try and see what was happening outside. Morgana herself had a pretty good view from her tower, but as dark clouds covered the moon and it began to rain it became more difficult to see. She hoped Merlin was all right, she couldn't remember when he had left, but it must have been a few hours, and he hadn't returned. She hoped he would come back soon.

She could see just out of the corner of her eye one of the monsters collide with one of Camelot's towers. She let out a gasp of fear and shock as she saw it happen and heard it roar, but the creature was too far away for it to hurt her, she forced herself to remain calm, but her hands were shaking. Where was Merlin? What if he was in that tower? She swallowed nervously.

Unaware that pure terror was only lying just around the corner.

Suddenly, there was a crash, a great rumble as if of thunder that ripped through the silence. The floor shook, Morgana stumbled backwards in surprise, her eyes wide. Something had collided with _her_ tower.

But then silence fell. She took a deep breath. _Keep calm Morgana, _she told herself,_ they won't be able to get in. Don't let them smell your panic. Don't let the monsters know you're afraid, you never let Uther know you were afraid._

There was a strange noise then - a squawk. It wasn't a scream, but it came from one of the creatures. She couldn't see them, she was too far from the window, but by the sounds of it one of the creatures was trying to contact the others.

_They're organised? This is getting even worse._ Morgana thought to herself. _Merlin where are you?_

Then there came one of the monster's screams. A terrible, ear-piercing cry, and it sounded horribly close. Morgana automatically clamped her hands over her ears, but she could still hear it. Such a terrible, loud noise it made her eyes water.

Then there was another crash, but worse than before. The walls shook violently and Morgana couldn't help but cry out with surprise. She knew what was happening, another creature had collided with her tower. Camelot was definitely under attack now. And she was trapped in her tower.

Yet another shriek. Morgana backed even further away from the window. She thought she caught sight of a great black wing fly past her window before something crashed into the side of the tower yet again. The floors shook, and the force caused the candle on Morgana's bedside table to flutter and die. Plunging her into darkness.

Silence.

Morgana stood frozen, breathing heavily. Had the creatures left her tower? Or were they simply waiting, but waiting for what? She was blind and deaf to the world around her now, and for a moment Morgana felt a wave of anger come over her, anger that she felt so weak and afraid. She tried to keep herself calm, but she was so scared a burning tear trickled down her cheek, and her breathing was becoming more rapid. She put a shaking hand up to her mouth, as if in an attempt to silence herself or stop her spread of panic.

Suddenly there was a scream. And one of the monsters collided with the window. It was so difficult to see through the darkness, but she thought she caught sight of a terrible, clawed hand, reaching in through the little window and scratching at the inside walls, trying to get in.

Then she saw its face. A pair of terrifying, glowing red eyes suddenly peered in through the window. It lit up her chamber with a horrible, eerie glow. A long set of shining white teeth snarled and then roared at Morgana, who couldn't help but scream in return with terror and stumble backwards.

She had never screamed before, she had never felt such fear, not since the day Uther found out about her powers.

The sound of her voice seemed to entice the creature further. It knew something was in there. It let out another roar as it tried to pull itself through the window. Dust fell down and stones were knocked from the wall to the ground. Its head was now fully in the chamber, but the window was too small to come in any further. Instead it snapped at the empty air and growled furiously. Red eyes glowing.

Morgana stared at the monstrous head, so afraid she couldn't move.

_Please, please don't let them get in. Please, please make them leave me alone! _She begged in her head.

The monster screamed again, and Morgana backed away into the corner of her chamber, shaking uncontrollably with fear. She felt her back meet the wall and sunk down it, beside her bed. She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face into her knees, trying to hold back a sob. She could hear them, more of them, screeching outside her window, colliding with her tower. Dust came down from the ceiling, the floor shook and Morgana started to rock back and forth with fear and anger.

She was afraid because she thought she was going to die. All alone, attacked by wild, terrible beasts with red eyes, never being able to taste freedom again. A captive brutally murdered in her own prison. No help, no protection, no Merlin. No one to care if these creatures tore down the little tower or ripped their way through the little window and tore her apart instead.

And Morgana felt angry because she _was _going to die, she couldn't prevent it. There was nothing she could do to defend herself, she had nothing, not even a knife so she could at least put up a fight, instead of cowering in a corner, and her magic was useless. She didn't want to feel the need to be protected by someone, she had to be protected by Uther when she was a child, and after she met Merlin she wanted him to protect her against these monsters. But she couldn't, she should be able to stand up for herself, she wanted to. It wasn't fair, she longed to be able to protect herself, but she had nothing, she had no one.

The walls of the tower shook and the creatures screamed outside, while Morgana cowered in the corner, wondering how long the little tower would hold.


	18. Chapter 18

_Hooray a slightly quicker update, I hope it's okay!_

_If anyone's interested - I have recently posted a new Merlin/Morgana one shot called 'In the Real World', kind of making up for the slight lacking of Mergana in this chapter and the last lol. It's also a future fic which I've never actually done before , so I'd love to know what you think of it! :)_

* * *

Chapter 18

The Scream

A cold breeze bit at the back of Merlin's neck as he ran outside, following Arthur and his Knights. The steady drizzle looked harmless when indoors, but outside it quickly soaked his clothes and dripped off his hair. Merlin squinted around in the darkness, light came from the castle windows, but other than that there was little to help him see. He could catch the sight of Arthur's armour glinting in the darkness as he rushed forward, sword at the ready. Merlin hung back a little, he couldn't let the Prince see what he was planning to do next.

Through the gloom the Young Warlock could just make out the wyverns. At first they had just been circling round the castle, but now they were making attacks, especially towards the towers, smashing into them as if hoping to dislodge them from the castle and bring them crashing to the ground. Merlin quickly turned his attention to the tallest tower, but at the moment it didn't seem to be under much attack or had suffered much damage. He hoped Morgana was all right.

Arthur and his men were forming a circle, swords raised, so they could keep an eye on every wyvern and were ready to defend themselves against attack. They couldn't do much when the wyverns were clinging to the towers with their huge, hideous claws, but it wouldn't be long before some noticed the fresh meat that had suddenly appeared. Already a couple were looking down on them with red, glowing eyes.

With Arthur pre-occupied, this was the best opportunity for Merlin. He didn't know how to get rid of the creatures, but he had to start somewhere, he had to do something.

"_A__dael y lle hwn_!"

Merlin might as well have just lectured the wyverns on how to clean a leach tank, it would have given the same effect. The creatures completely blanked him, they probbly didn't even know he was there, they continued to fly around the castle as before, not even shaken. Merlin noticed one of them landing on Morgana's tower, and tried not to panic.

"_Atal!_"

Nothing.

"Yn syrthio o'r awyr!"

He thought he caught sight of one of the creatures looking down at him, but that was the biggest reaction he got.

The wyvern was still on Morgana's little tower, it seemed curious about something, but all it seemed to be doing was knocking a few tiles off the roof. It couldn't get in, Morgana would be safe in there, wouldn't she?

Merlin tried another tactic. He spotted one of the other wyverns clinging onto a different tower, its eyes focused on the circle of men below it with a nasty look of interest. None of the knights had noticed its deadly curiosity yet. They were too busy watching a wyvern which had been flying around the castle, but had dropped its height, coming closer to the ground.

With a flash of gold from his eyes, a burst of blue lightning erupted from Merlin's outstrethed hand. It moved so fast Arthur would have seen nothing but a burst of sudden light, if that. The bolt hit its target perfecly, right in the creature's side, but did nothing. The creature shook at off and didn't even look scratched by it. In fact, it just looked annoyed. Merlin tried again, but got the same result. He glanced over at Morgana's tower and saw another creature had landed on it. He cursed under his breath.

What could he do? The creatures seemed deaf to his words and protected against ordinary magic. He had never faced wyverns before, he didn't know what to do. All the creatures were now taking great interest in either Morgana's tower or the little people on the ground. One of them made a swoop towards them...

"Arthur look out!" Merlin cried, rushing forward.

There was no need for him to shout, Arthur had seen it coming, and had ducked quickly, but the soldier next to him asn't so lucky. He was thrown up into the air by the terrible force of the creature, cashing back to the ground with a horrible thud. The monster let out a shriek as if with pleasure.

Both Arthur and Merlin automatically went to the fallen Knight.

"Is he all right?"Arthur asked breahtlessly, bending over the Knight while Merlin knelt beside him, looking for a pulse.

"I...I don't know," Merlin said. He didn't want to say he couldn't find the man's heartbeat, but he was panicking and his hands were shaking. He was never good at this sort of thing, the man could well still be alive.

Arthur took a deep breath and straightened up again. The shock of the attack had put his knights in disarry, they were no longer in the perfect circle. Panic was beginning to set in. Merlin himself felt at a complete loss, he didn't know what these creatures were doing in Camelot and how to stop them. He thought about it, relative to the Dragon, was there someone who could be able to help?

"Arthur I don't think this is going to work-" Merlin began, hoping to persuadeArthur to get himself and his Knights back into the castle. It was too dangerous outside and they had been fighting a losing battle even before it had begun.

But he never managed to finish his sentence.

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the night, but it wasn't a scream from one of the wyvern's, it was a human scream, a woman's, filled with terror. And it had come from the tallest tower.

Both Arthur and Merlin looked up to the tower, shocked. Arthur was confused, while Merlin was panicking even more at the sound. His mind went wild, what was happening in that tower? He could just about see one of the creatures, it looked like he was trying to poke its head into the tower's window. Morgana was still in there, and she was screaming with fear.

They were specifically attacking the tower, with a terrified Morgana inside, why?

"What the..." Arthur began, but before he could finish, there was another scream, this time from a wyvern, and Merlin and Arthur turned just in time to see one of them flying right towards them.

What happened next lasted seconds, but as all such evnts, it seemed to go in slow motion.

Despite the night's events so far, Merlin was still able to think straight had time to dive out the way of the monster. He tried to grab Arthur and drag him down with him, but he was too slow. Arthur was frozen, his confusion at hearing a scream from the tower seemed to have left him struck dumb, his reactions temporarily died. Therefore he did nothing but stare as the creature rammed into him.

Merlin let out a cry of sock and panic as Arthur was thrown to the ground. In desperaion he picked up Arthur's sword, which now lay useless on the ground, and tried to stab the monster with it. The weapon bounced easily off the wyvern's skin, as if it was wearing armour, and it turned to Merlin, red eyes blazing. For a moment Merlin wondered if this was the end.

But then there was a shout behind him, and Merlin turned to see the other Knights running to help. The wyvern quickly realised it was outnumbered, and decided it was better to take to the skies again. Before anyone could do anything else, the creature spread its great wings and took off.

Merlin hurried to Arthur's side. The Prince was unconscious. In another situation merlin would have joked how the man always did this, but this was no time for joking. The claws of the creature had ripped right through Arthur's armour. Through the darkness Merlin could just about see two great, long gashes across his breat plate, red liquid oozing from them. There seemed to be some on his legs as well.

A paralizing panic was building up in Merlin's chest. He took deep, desperate breaths, trying to blink tears from his eyes and continue to think straight.

Arthur was injured, possibly dead. Morgana was under attack, possibly dead. Two of the people who he cared most for in the world, even though sometimes he didn't like to admit it, could be dead. And there was nothing Merlin could do, his magic was useless, the wyverns could not be stopped. But if he didn't do something the whole of Camelot might be torn down because of them.

He couldn't give up. He had to think of something to do. He had to find someone to help, someone who would have the knowlegde to defeat these dragon-like creatures.

Making a decision, Merlin quickly pulled himself to his feet, while the beasts continued to circle above them like vultures, shrieking with glee. He glanced at the tallest tower, they were still there, trying to pull it apart brick by brick. Arthur was still lying motionless, and the smell of his blood would drive the wyverns into a frenzy. He didn't have much time.

"Get him inside!" He bellowed to the Knights, who were kneeling around Arthur, forgetting that he really shouldn't be talking to Knights like that, but at that moment, he didn't care.

With that, Merlin turned and ran into the castle as fast as he could. He had to try, he had to do something, before all hope was lost.

Only glancing back once, Merlin headed down to the dungeons, to Kilgarrah.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The Impossible Promise

It was even colder beneath the walls Camelot, but at least down in the dungeons it wasn't raining. Merlin had to battle through the corridors to get there, fighting against a wave of people fleeing from the terrible cries of the beasts, every now and then the floor shook when a wyvern slammed into the side of the castle. How long could the castle walls hold? The people around him were panicking, some screaming, but they didn't know where was safe from the creaures. Merlin felt his heart tear as he thought about how Morgana would be reacting, just as panicked, just as frightened. But he had to stay focused. If the Dragon helped him he had a chance at saving Morgana _and_ Arhtur, and probably a lot of other people as well.

If.

The last time he had a conversation with the Dragon, they did not leave on good terms. How long would he keep a grudge?

At first Kilgharrah was nowhere to be seen. Merlin tried to stay calm, the Dragon wouldn't always be waiting for him, and he couldn't have gone far, he would be there. But he didn't have much time.

"Where are you?" Merlin cried out, he didn't mean to sound so angry, but his hand which clutched the torch he had picked up on the way was shaking. He took a deep breath.

Silence.

"I know you're out there!" Merlin shouted into the darkness. Nothing.

Seconds ticked by, they were wasting time! Didn't the Dragon know Camelot was under attack? Merlin was about to start begging the empty air for help, when he heard a great rush of wind, and turned just in time to see the body of the Great Dragon swoop over him, before landing on one of the huge boulders in front of him.

The Dragon looked at Merlin curiously, as if he was wondering how Merlin had got there. "Is there a problem, young Warlock?" He said annoyingly calmly, almost mocking.

Merlin couldn't help but glare at the Kilgharrah, he knew why he was there, he must know. "You have to help me-" he began.

But before Merlin could continue and explain what was wrong, the Dragon interrupted. "Now why would I do that? I try to help you, I try to give advice and warn you against certain actions, but you choose to ignore them. Now all of a sudden you're standing before me, asking for me help."

"Yes I know," Merlin spluttered, desperate to do something, "but if you don't help me, Camelot could fall, tonight!"

The Dragon looked at him curiously, and perhaps a little disbelieving. There was something about him though that made Merlin suspicious, as if all the Dragon was doing was an act. He knew exactly what he was talking about.

"There are these creatures, wyverns, they've come to the Kingdom, without warning, and they're attacking the castle. I've tried to fight them off but my magic is useless, and no ordinary weapon can kill them. They're a relative to the Dragon, so I thought you could tell me what can be done to send them away!"

To Merlin's steadily increasing anger, the Dragon didn't look worried about this at all, in fact he simply said. "Well, I cannot let my cousins, however distant, be harmed by Uther's men or any magic, they have a right to be protected."

Merlin stared at the Dragon as if he had just said he had just eaten Arthur for breakfast. He was too shocked to be furious. "You're _protecting_ them? But they've invaded Camelot! They're attacking the towers!" Then he paused, he thought about how they were taking such little interest in everything else, not the houses or the people, apart from the castle, in particular its towers. In fact there was just one tower they seemed to be focusing on..."Hang on, did you send them?"

Kilgharrah looked shocked, but Merlin wasn't convinced. "Why would you say that, Merlin?"

"Because you were so desperate to keep me away from Morgana, and when I disobeyed you, you must have felt the only way to get her out of my mind was to get rid of her all together." Merlin sounded surprisingly calm as he spoke, but there was a deep, burning, terrible anger and hatred in his eyes. This supposedly Great Dragon was hurting his precious Morgana, how dare he do such a thing?

The Dragon however was still refusing to co-operate. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Young Warlock," he said curtly. "I may protect my fellow species against swords and simple magic, but I would not bring them here."

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "No, you sent them!" He pointed an accusing finger at the Dragon, no longer fearing or admiring the beast. "You sent them to hurt her! Why would you do that? She's innocent, she's harmless!"

Kilgharrah was about to argue with Merlin, but then seemed to realise there was no point. The Warlock's mind was set on his delusions about Morgana, he wouldn't change his mind, there was only one way which would make him change.

"I don't know what brought the wyverns here, but I can quite easily get rid of them for you. You just need to make a promise for me first, Merlin. I need you to promise me that you'll stop seeing Morgana."

Merlin froze, he couldn't quite believe what the Dragon had just said to him. "What has this got to do with the creatures?" He demanded. He knew he was stalling, he would not let this Dragon get the answer out of him, but he didn't have much time.

"Nothing." Kilgharrah said perhaps a little too quickly, "but I'm getting tired of you making false promises young Warlock, this time I won't do a favour for you unless you do a favour for me. Stop seeing Morgana and I will send the monsters away."

"So you _did_ send them, to pull me away from her-"

"I'm not saying who or what brought them here Merlin, and right now that's not our priority," the Dragon interrupted, "what I need is your promise that you will leave Morgana alone, and I will get rid of the wyverns."

"I...I can't." Merlin found himself stuttering. Because he couldn't, he couldn't stop seeing Morgana. Their relationship was too important to him now, too strong, too powerful, he couldn't abandon her, not again just because a stupid dragon said so. It would be too painful for both him and Morgana. "You wouldn't understand how I feel about her," he snapped.

However the Dragon too was growing angrily, "You will never comprehend how far my knowledge stretches in all directions, young Warlock. And some things are more important and powerful than mere feelings."

Merlin shook his head, "You're wrong."

"I refuse to argue with you Merlin, you have to make this promise and you have to keep it."

But Merlin wasn't going to give in so easily, there had to be a way out of this. Camelot was being torn apart, and Merlin could stop it with just a small promise. But it was a promise he could not keep. There had to be something else. "Arthur's going to die," he said suddenly.

The Dragon paused, he looked at Merlin carefully, "That is a strange and sudden assumption to make young Warlock, the wyverns have not destroyed Camelot yet. Why do you think Arthur's going to die?"

"Because he was attacked by one of the creatures, I was there, I saw it happen, he's badly injured." Merlin paused, "if you don't send the wyverns away, it doesn't matter if Camelot doesn't fall, my destiny is as good as destroyed if Arthur's killed by them."

"Make the promise then," Kilgharrah snapped back, but Merlin could tell the Dragon was now worried. "Make the promise you'll stop seeing Morgana and the wyverns will leave, Arthur will have a chance of survival."

"I cannot make that promise, I love her!" Merlin blurted out suddenly.

The Dragon stared at him, he looked calm, but seemed too shocked to speak. Merlin too felt in shock. Did he really love her? Could two people fall in love so quickly, or was he simply not thinking straight because he was panicking? He didn't know, and this was no time to work that out. He took a deep breath.

"If you don't get rid of the wyverns, Arthur will be killed, he might already be dead. And if he dies then my destiny has died with him. Albion will never be born and magic will never be allowed back into Camelot. The prophecies which you love to recite will never come to life."

Kilgharrah hesitated, he looked irritated, and for a moment Merlin thought he was going to continue to argue, but then the Dragon sighed and gave up. Truth be told, Kilgharrah knew that trying to force Merlin to make such a promise was a long shot, he was just desperate to stop him seeing Morgana, but it seemed his feelings for Morgana had gone too far. And he was right about his destiny if Arthur dies, such a risk cannot be taken.

"Fine," said the Great Dragon after a pause, "I will call off the wyverns, for the sake of future Albion and your destiny, which you mustn't forget about."

Why did the Dragon keep on thinking Merlin was going to forget all about his destiny? But he decided this was not a good time for more arguing. Merlin paused, trying to work out if the Dragon was speaking the truth. He decided he should trust Kilgharrah, but he didn't stay much longer. After a muttered thank you, Merlin turned and ran back inside the castle, back to his friends. He thought he heard the Dragon roar as he left, he didn't know if it was out of anger or the call to the wyverns, but when he glanced out a window minutes later he saw the sky was clear.

* * *

_So, what do you think? Did the Dragon bring the wyverns to Camelot to attack the castle, or was it merely another creature's hatred for Uther's treatment of magical creatures that caused their presence? I sometimes like to leave a mystery or question open in a story, so I'll let you, the readers, decide what happened :) I do know the right answer if you'd really like to know, but I'll leave it to your decision :)_

_I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, but I hope it wasn't too bad._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The Great Hall

The Great Hall always seemed to be the place people sheltered in times of trouble, in times of crisis. Perhaps it was because it made them feel secure, and there was plenty of room for everyone to stay there. It was the first place Merlin went to as he knew everyone would be there, and he needed to check that everyone was still alive, including Arthur. He had been aiming to go straight to the Tallest Tower (if it was still standing), but he passed the Great Hall on the way, and when he heard a mass of voices, he couldn't bring himself to just walk past it.

It looked like half of Camelot had packed itself inside the Great Hall that evening. A few makeshift beds had been set up along one side, but fortunately there weren't many injured. Merlin saw a couple of Knights, one lying there staring at the ceiling, his shoulder bandaged, another sitting up on the temporary bed, his leg bandaged, a look of shock on his face. Then Merlin's eyes caught sight of Arthur, lying unconscious on one of the beds, and Gaius sitting beside him in an old wooden chair, he rushed over to them.

Gaius looked up when he saw Merlin, he nodded in recognition, but his eyes were sombre. He turned his attention back to Arthur. He was no longer wearing his armour, instead there were tight bandages wrapped around his chest and stomach, which were already blood stained. It didn't look good.

"How is he?" Merlin asked, drawing up his own chair and sitting on the opposite side of Arthur's bed to Gaius.

"He's in a bad way, but he'll live," the physician replied.

Merlin let himself breathe a sigh of relief, he trusted Gaius, if Gaius said that Arthur was going to be OK, then he was probably going to be OK. "Did the wyverns go away?"

Gaius nodded, "I don't know what you did Merlin but all of a sudden they just stopped what they were doing, turned and flew away from the castle, as if someone had just given a command. Whatever you had done to them, it was the right thing to do." The physician looked up at his nephew, "I don't tell you I'm proud of you enough, do I?"

The young Warlock shifted uncomfortably in his chair under Gaius' gaze. But there was pride in the old man's eyes that briefly replaced the worry and he felt comforted that Gaius had said he had done the right thing, and that he was proud. Merlin smiled back at him. The crisis had been averted, he could allow himself to smile.

Gaius then broke his gaze and looked at the row of beds. "I have to check on the other Knights, can you keep an eye on him while I'm gone?" He asked.

"Err," Merlin hesitated, he still had to go and see Morgana, how long could he leave her to wait? He was desperate to see her, but could he leave Arthur too? And what excuse could he tell Gaius? In the end he said, "Yes of course, but I can't stay for long, I have other things I need to go and do."

The physician nodded, there was no time to question such things, and he trusted Merlin too. "I won't be long."

Merlin watched as Gaius got up and left. He shifted nervously in his seat, trying to resist the urge to bolt. He looked down at Arthur, not quite sure what he should be doing, Gaius hadn't given him any instructions.

He looked around at the Great Hall, the noise was immense, so many people talking and shouting all together, some were crying. Many were just in shock about the attack, but apart from that they were unharmed. Merlin thought he spotted the maid that had come out of Morgana's chamber that first night they had met, she was passing a goblet of water over to a small child, who looked very frightened, but took it gratefully. The maid smiled.

Suddenly Merlin was distracted by a voice beside him coughing, and he looked down to see Arthur's eyes were flickering open.

"Merlin?" The Prince asked, looking up at his manservant as the world slowly came into focus, he crinkled his nose in effort.

"There's no need to pull that face," Merlin joked, laughing, but it was more relief that Arthur was awake.

"There is every need to pull that face," despite his injuries, Arthur was still able to make a joke. However when he tried to sit up he grunted with pain and pulled another face, that made Merlin stop laughing. There was something about his eyes too that concerned Merlin, they weren't focused, it was as if they were shrouded in cloud. Merlin remembered how Arthur had tumbled to the ground, he must have hit his head pretty hard. "What happened?" The Prince asked.

Merlin shrugged, "The wyverns took one look at you and flew away screaming," he said. He wasn't quite sure what he should tell Arthur, certainly not that he ordered a Dragon to get rid of the creatures, so he decided to keep it light-hearted.

Arthur wasn't so impressed. "Very funny Merlin," he looked around the Great Hall, for a moment he had no idea where he was, but then realisation dawned on him of what must have happened. This wasn't the first time he had ended up on a makeshift bed in the Great Hall after a battle or an attack. "What_ did_ happen though?"

"I think the creatures just realised they couldn't destroy the castle, especially when they saw it was defended, so they went back to where they came from," Merlin explained, deciding that would do for an explanation for no. Arthur still didn't look too sure, so he quickly changed the subject. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've just been attacked by a wyvern," Arthur grunted, which Merlin decided to translate as 'in a lot of pain'. Arthur's eyes narrowed with concentration for a few moments, "I don't remember much to be honest...I think I hit my head," he tried to sit up again as he spoke, raising his hand up to his head, looking for the injury.

"You'll feel much better once you get some rest," Merlin assured him, he was worried that the Prince might try and jump out of bed to go and do something productive and helpful in the situation. If the wyverns hadn't gone away Arthur would be demanding his armour back so he could go out there and face them again.

But Arthur didn't look like he was preparing to leap out of bed, and he was no longer listening to Merlin, but thinking hard again. "I do remember something though..." Merlin really hoped he didn't remember bolts of blue lightning shooting out of his manservant's hand, it would be hard to make an excuse for that. But what Arthur did remember, took Merlin by surprise.

"I heard a scream..."

There was a pause as the words sunk in. Young Warlock shrugged, as if it was nothing, but there was something about Arthur's words that made him shiver. He tried to keep things light-hearted still. "There was a lot of screaming, those wyverns were making a horrible noise, and I'm sure I screamed a few times as well," he joked.

Arthur raised his eyebrow, but didn't argue against Merlin's admittance that he had probably screamed. "There was something else though, another scream..." he paused for a minute, thinking, then he remembered. "It came from the Tallest Tower."

Merlin froze. "The tower?"

Another pause, then Arthur nodded, certain now. "Yes, I'm pretty sure, I heard someone screaming, a woman. And it came from the Tallest Tower."

"It was probably nothing," Merlin said quickly, looking down at the floor.

"But I'm sure of it, there was someone in the tower when the wyverns were attacking it, I heard them scream...but no one lives in that tower. It's always empty."

Again, Merlin shrugged, "Someone just probably went in there to escape from the wyverns, everyone was running around and trying to hide inside the castle."

"But the wyverns were attacking the towers, why would you go and hide in a tower?"

Afterwards, Merlin wondered if that could have been the moment in which he was able to tell Arthur everything about that tower, about how his childhood friend was still alive but, and hadn't even moved away from Camelot. She had been kept hidden inside the Tallest Tower, which was why no one went in there. Arthur was suspicious and questioning about something mysterious in the tower, would he be willing to listen to whatever Merlin said? And it would be a relief for Merlin, for once there was a secret he could share with his closest friend.

If she was still alive...

And Arthur had had a nasty nock on the head, he could have forgotten every word of what Merlin would tell him, or he might think Merlin was making it up. Was this really the best time?

Either way, Merlin didn't take the opportunity. The moment passed, and he just sat there, staring and the floor.

In the end, he said, "Well, I didn't hear anything Arthur, are you sure you're not mistaken? You have just suffered a pretty nasty attack and a bump on the head..."

He wondered if Arthur would snap at him for saying this, for making him sound weak, but the Prince considered his words, and agreed with him. "My memory is still a little shaky...perhaps I did imagine it."

Merlin nodded in agreement, and the two didn't mention it again. In fact they both remained silent for a long time, until Merlin couldn't bear waiting any longer.

"I'm sorry Arthur, I have to go, will you be all right? There are some things I need to do..."

"Yes, Merlin that's fine..." But before Arthur could question what the other things were that Merlin claimed he needed to do, his manservant had already left his bedside and running out of the Great Hall.

* * *

_Again, not a very good chapter, but at least we now know Arthur's OK :) But we'll have to wait and see what's happened to Morgana..._

_Next update will probably be dealayed as I've got a busy few days coming up - packing and moving to Uni! So nervous and excited, wish me luck! :D Will get back to this story as soon as I can :)_


	21. Chapter 21

_Apologies for the delayed update, but I've been really busy with moving into Uni etc! All settled in now though :) and sorry about the really short chapter, I hope it's ok, let me know what you think! :)_

* * *

Chapter 21

The Hunched Figure

The main chamber of the Tallest Tower was shrouded in darkness. Merlin stepped slowly into it, fear clutching his heart. It looked like the place had been hit by a thunderstorm and was shaken to its core. The little bedside table was lying on its side across the room, the little candle lying uselessly on the stone floor, and Merlin was sure the bed had been moved from against the wall too. Everything in the room was covered in a thin layer of dust.

There was nothing but silence. No Morgana.

Merlin walked a little further into the chamber, his fear growing worse by the second. He should check the other chambers, perhaps Morgana had hid in those, he hoped so, but something told him she wouldn't have moved from the window after he had left her. In which case, how much chance did she had surviving against those creatures?

He remembered her terrible scream.

"Morgana?" Merlin called out into the darkness.

Silence. He tried again, and tried not to let himself sound so desperate."Morgana?"

Suddenly, there was a small, muffled sound. Merlin froze. It was so quiet he had to wait a few moments, listening closely, to make sure it wasn't his imagination, and that he had actually heard something.

Yes, there it was again, someone was in the chamber. It sounded like a restrained sob that was filled with fear, and it was coming from beside the bed.

Merlin crept forward slowly, as if afraid to see what was hiding down there.

Morgana sat beside in the very corner, the shadow of it casting her into further darkness. Her knees were pulled up to her face, her arms were wrapped around her legs and her face was buried in between her knees. Her long hair draped over her knees, so Merlin couldn't see her face. Her whole body was shaking. At first Merlin didn't recognise her and this sudden appearance of a hunched creature in the darkness frightened him, but at a second glance he knew who it was.

At first Merlin was relieved to see that Morgana was still alive, that the tower was still actually standing, but the sight of her curled up in the corner terrified him at the same time. Was she hurt? Was she so scared she couldn't move? Did she hate him for leaving her in such a state?

"Oh, Morgana..." Merlin stepped forward, unable to think of what else to say.

The shaking figure hesitated for a moment, recognising the voice, but Morgana didn't look up. It was only after Merlin repeated her name again that she spoke, her voice was as quiet as a mouth, and she hardly moved.

"Merlin?"

Merlin stepped towards her, arms outstretched as if in a desperate attempt to help her, but unsure what to do. "Morgana, are you hurt?" He knew he shouldn't ask her if she was all right, looking at the state of her, he knew she wasn't all right, but he had to know if she was hunched up and shaking because of injury or shock.

A short silence, as if Morgana was carefully thinking through the question, then, "N, no...No I don't think I'm injured. I just..." She started shaking again and there was another muffled sob. She started rocking back and forth. She couldn't finish her sentence.

Guilt and sorrow filling his heart at the sight of her, Merlin carefully made his way over to Morgana's side and sat down beside her. There was a nasty chill in the air, making him shiver, but it was also fear and worry for Morgana that was making him feel cold. Slowly, carefully, he put his arms around her shaking body.

He could feel Morgana stop shaking suddenly and stiffen, but then realising who it was and his intention was to comfort her, she relaxed, and rested her body against him. The warmth of Merlin's body seemed to stop her crying, she felt so cold.

They sat there together, for several minutes, surrounded by silence, until Morgana found her voice and managed to speak again.

"I...I was so scared Merlin. I was so afraid and there was nothing I could do to defend myself, I thought they were going...going to kill me," she stuttered. "And I could do nothing. I saw their eyes, their red, burning eyes, and knew they wanted to rip the tower apart to get to me. And I was terrified, but there was nothing I could do, I thought I would die, I thought..." She stopped, unable to continue any more.

Merlin shushed her gently, and hugged her tightly. He felt her hands, stone cold, wrap around his arms and squeeze him back. She was still shaking a little. He felt so terrible for leaving her like this, for so long. She could have been killed and she was right, she had nothing to defend herself with, she knew nothing about how to use her magic, and Uther hadn't even given her a knife to defend herself from an intruder. She must have been relying on Merlin to help, to do something, and he wasn't there for her.

"I'm so sorry Morgana," he said gently, "but it's OK, they've gone, I'm here now, and I promise I'll make sure no one ever hurts you. I'll look after you, I promise."

There was a pause, and he thought he saw Morgana nod. She carefully unravelled herself, but didn't pull away from Merlin's arms. He legs stretched out over the cold stone floor, and her head rested on his shoulder. She had stopped shaking, she was felt safe now, she fell asleep in his arms.


	22. Chapter 22

_Here's the next chapter, hope you all like it :) and we've almost reached 200 reviews people! That's amazing! So thanks to all those who have reviewed, shall we see if we can get it to 200+? :)_

Chapter 22

The Gift

Fine, soft snow lightly dusted the streets and castle of Camelot. It was as if someone had gently sprinkled sugar over the whole Kingdom. The air was bitter however, every breath froze in the lungs, and everyone turned in their own version of a smoking dragon when they walked down the street, trying to get through the day, feeling grateful that the snow wasn't deep, the cold weather was bad enough.

But very few people walked the streets of Camelot today, after a buzzing of extra activity, everything had gone quiet. When Merlin gazed out the window he could only see one trail of someone's footprints making their way from the Castle and across the courtyard. It was beginning to snow again, a few snowflakes drifted gently down as the sun began to set in the distance.

It was reaching the end of the year, and within the warmth of the castle walls celebrations and feasts were being held. They were celebrating a good year and good harvest, before winter definitely set in, the weather became crueller and the people began to worry how long their food supplies would last.

Merlin wasn't attending the celebrations though. He had managed to come up with a good excuse, he knew Arthur wouldn't surprised to hear his manservant had come down with a cold with such weather, and the Prince was always feeling particularly generous this time of year. Unfortunately Merlin couldn't ask Gaius to pass on the excuse, he would become too suspicious, so Arthur's manservant simply stood at the door explaining the situation and sniffing loudly every five seconds before Arthur told him to go to bed before he gave everyone the plague.

Usually Merlin would be disappointed to be missing out on such celebrations throughout the Kingdom, and he pretended to be so, but truth be told he had a very much more important place to attend, and a much more important person to see.

Two months had passed since the wyverns had made their sudden and random attack. They hadn't come back since, and Merlin hadn't heard anything from the Great Dragon. He decided to take this as a good thing. He continued to visit Morgana as much as possible, he saw her and stayed with her almost every night after that terrible attack until she had fully recovered, frightened about how she might cope alone.

As soon as the main panic had died down and everyone was sure the wyverns were gone for good, Uther visited Morgana too. He claimed he was worried about her, but Morgana told Merlin she couldn't see it in his eyes. Uther then ordered the roof of the tallest tower to be mended after extensive damage had been done by the creatures, and with the King giving orders, no one asked questions. The small chamber was quickly put back to rights, before Uther carried on as if nothing had happened. Morgana had tried to tell him how scared she had been when they had attacked, but he simply said nothing would hurt her in that tower, she was safe.

Morgana didn't believe him, and neither did Merlin, which is why he had got her a little gift, to help make her feel safe.

Morgana grinned when she rushed to the top of the stairs and saw Merlin making his way up them, grinning back. "I thought you wouldn't be coming tonight," she admitted. She didn't notice that he was hiding something behind his back.

"Why wouldn't I?" Merlin replied, and she smiled again. Their childlike awkwardness had faded away after so many visits and now there was no one else they would rather be with.

"I have to admit I miss going to celebrations. I didn't like talking to all these nobles I didn't know and people who would hate me if they knew what I really was, but I still miss the food and the atmosphere, and the dresses. It's been so long since I've even seen the Great Hall." Morgana explained when the two of them sat down on her bed to talk as they always did.

Merlin shrugged, "You're not really missing much," he assured her. "Although seeing Arthur when he's had too much mead is always entertaining."

Morgana laughed at this. But suddenly there was a great sadness in her eyes and she stared down at her hands. Merlin understood why, the celebrations may not be very exciting or entertaining, but that wasn't the point. Because of what Morgana was she had been pushed away from them, she couldn't spend time with other people or join in festivals because of a gift she had never asked for. She had to stay locked away in a tower like a prisoner. It would make anyone feel unwanted and alone.

Merlin decided this was the best opportunity. "I got something for you," he said suddenly into the silence.

Surprise replaced the sadness in Morgana's eyes as she looked up at him. "Really?"

The Young Warlock nodded, and he pulled out from behind his back something that was wrapped loosely in a cloth. "I'm sorry it's not well presented, but it's the best I could do without anyone becoming suspicious, it was hard enough buying it and then trying to keep it hidden."

Morgana stared down at the bundle Merlin had just placed on her lap, as if it contained the key to her freedom. All the years she had been locked up in a tower, she had never received a gift. "I don't know what to say..." she began.

"Best wait to see if I deserve a thank you after you've seen what it is," Merlin joked. He could feel himself going a little pink. He had never given a girl a gift like this before, he didn't know what she might think, if it was the right thing to do.

Slowly, Morgana unwrapped the object from the cloth, and couldn't help but gasp when she saw what it was.

It was a dagger. The delicate hilt had been beautifully decorated in blood red and shining gold patterns, it glittered in the dim candlelight as she slowly turned it over, taking in the incredible detail and beauty. The shining blade reflected her face, which held a look of wonder.

"It's beautiful..." she began, but then was lost for words.

"I wanted you to feel protected, that you can look after yourself, I know it's not much, but I thought it would help," Merlin spoke into the silence. He watched Morgana, worried, "do you like it?" He asked.

Morgana may not have received any gifts while locked up in the tower, but for the few years she had freedom it was different. When she first came to Camelot, terrified of everyone around her, Uther bought her dresses, perfume and jewellery to make her feel at home. Anything she asked for, as long as it was in reason, he would get it. And as the King, he could afford anything. All presents for celebrations and important occasions would have been expensive and probably especially made. But this gift, from a servant who had probably spent most of the little money he had on it, and had bought it to make her feel safe, after being locked away for so many years, this was completely different. This was nothing like she had ever received, so it was not an exaggeration when she said. "It's the best gift I've ever been given."

Merlin grinned with relief. He had seen the dagger at a market stall and it immediately made him think of Morgana, there was something about its delicate beauty and power it could hold. He paid through the nose to get it even after spending half an hour arguing with the market stall owner to lower the price. But he had no regrets, especially now when he saw her looking at it with a small smile on her face. Now she had something to defend herself with, now she could be safe, now she had a gift.

And yet now he was seeing the dagger in Morgana's hands, there was also something disturbing about it. Something that made him shiver. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but Morgana seemed to have no concerns about the gift. She turned her attention back to him.

"Thank you Merlin, I-"

But before Morgana could continue, there was a noise. A sound that made both of them freeze with horror, and stare, wide eyed at each other.

Footsteps, coming down the corridor towards the tallest tower. Before they had any time to react, there was a creak as the door to the tower opened, and then more footsteps came slowly up the stairs. A voice echoed through the silence.

"Morgana?"

Uther was here.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The Unwelcome Visit

Uther's cold eyes scanned the chamber suspiciously. Morgana stood and watched him carefully, trying to control her breathing and look calm. He must tell something's wrong, something's different. Merlin held his breath as he peered out from beneath Morgana's bed, watching Uther's face. Had they left it too late? Had the King spotted the manservant diving under the bed and heard the hurried, panicked whispers? Perhaps he was going to give Morgana a chance to explain herself before he exploded with rage. He seemed to be waiting for something.

Finally, Uther's eyes finished sweeping the room and turned to his ward.

"Who were you talking to Morgana?" He asked sternly.

Morgana shifted uncomfortably, her hands constantly fiddling with the sleeve of her dress. She swallowed. "I haven't been speaking to anyone, my Lord," she lied, her voice sounded horribly small and high pitched. Her eyes were wide and fearful. Surely the King could see right through her?

"But I heard voices..." Uther began.

"I was talking to myself," Morgana burst out quickly. When her guardian gave her a peculiar look, she added quietly, "I have such little company, sometimes it is only me I can talk to."

Uther's features softened a little at this, but still he seemed cautious. When he spoke again there was a tinge of anger in his voice. "I hope you're not lying to me Morgana..." he began.

"I'm not!" Morgana said, perhaps a little too hurriedly. She cleared her throat. "You and Gwen are the only people I ever see, and she left hours ago. No one else knows I'm here. I have not had the pleasure of anyone else's company for many years."

Morgana wondered if this was pushing it a little too far. Surely trying to play with Uther's guilt wouldn't work? He had none. Merlin could only just about see Uther's face, Morgana was standing right beside him, but all he could see was the hem of her dress. He could tell she was feeling nervous though, he could picture what should would be doing, constantly fiddling with her hands, her face pale and worried. The dagger he had just given her lay on the bed just behind her. If she moved even a little Uther would see it.

But then the King didn't ask any more questions about the voices, he seemed to realise that Morgana was right. No one had been up here in years apart from him and Gwen, and no one else knew of Morgana's presence. To Camelot, these were merely empty chambers.

"How are the celebrations going tonight my Lord?" Morgana asked, hoping to distract Uther from their previous conversation. From Merlin's hiding place he could see the King relax a little. They were safe. For now.

"Not bad, everyone is enjoying the feast." He said with a slight shrug, staring at the floor. Merlin watched the King curiously, it was as if he was ashamed of something. Ashamed that he couldn't allow his own ward to join in at the feast?

"I do miss them," Morgana confessed. She had said the same thing to Merlin, but this time her voice was different, pleading. He knew if he could see her face it would be filled with sorrow and loss. "I wish there was a way I could join in..." she began.

"There isn't Morgana, there never will be!" Uther snapped suddenly. Merlin saw Morgana's whole body jolt at this, as if Uther had just slapped her. His anger frightened her, his words hurt her. All of a sudden she seemed reduced to a ten-year old again. Was this the same every meeting? Uther seemed to regret his outburst though, his eyes softened and he sighed. "We've been through this a thousand times Morgana. I know you're lonely, but keeping you here is for the best, for everyone, even if it means you cannot attend any feasts. One day I hope you can realise that."

But Merlin would never be able to understand that. He hated to think how Morgana must feel.

There was a long silence. Morgana stood there, frozen, while Uther gazed around her little chamber. Merlin was waiting for his eyes to drift over to the bed, to spot a pair of bright blue eyes, and hatred fill his stone-cold ones.

"So, how are you?" The King asked, still oblivious to the silent observer.

Morgana tried to suppress a sigh. "I am well thank you my Lord. And you?"

Uther nodded, not bothering to answer her verbally. He studied his ward carefully. "Have you still been managing to keep yourself...under control?" He asked.

"I always keep myself under control."

There was something in Morgana's voice then. It wasn't just because she was now speaking through gritted teeth, there was a great rage building up inside her at this simple question, and shame, that she had to be asked this question. At first Merlin didn't understand what Uther meant, but then he realised, they must be talking about her magic. He imagined Morgana's eyes at this moment, they must be filled with hatred.

Uther didn't seem to notice however, he just nodded again, accepting the reply. What could he possibly do if Morgana had said she couldn't anyway? "And there's been no change?" He asked.

This time Morgana sounded just sad and disappointed. Merlin could tell why, this was clearly all Uther cared about, all he asked every time. "No, there hasn't been any change."

"Do you need anything?"

And with that, after barely five minutes of Uther being in the room, it looked like the meeting was over. Merlin could already see the King turning in the direction of the door, preparing to leave. He wasn't going to stay to tell Morgana more about the celebration, about what the City had been doing during this festival time. He didn't offer her any gifts, or bring her up any food from the feast. He just wanted to check on his ward at this time of generosity before he continued with the celebration.

Merlin couldn't see Morgana's reaction, but he heard her sigh as she said, "No thank you my Lord, I'm fine." She paused, "I hope you enjoy the rest of the celebrations Sire."

Uther nodded, but he didn't seem to care anymore about what Morgana said. He had done what he needed to do. "Thank you. Goodnight, Morgana."

"Goodnight-" but before Morgana could say any more, Uther had already turned and left the chamber, the door swung shut behind him.

Merlin hesitated for a few moments, to make sure Uther had definitely left and wasn't planning on making a sudden reappearance, before crawling out from beneath the bed. When he pulled himself back onto his feet, he saw Morgana's eyes were filled with tears.

"I hoped you wouldn't have to see that," she murmured, sitting back down on the bed.

"Why?" Merlin asked, sitting down beside her.

Morgana shrugged and said nothing, but when he thought about it Merlin had a pretty good idea why Morgana wanted to keep such encounters to herself. It was the way Uther was treating her, as if she was nothing more than a possession. She was a family heirloom that he no longer wanted to keep, but felt he should out of respect, because where else could she go? But the King didn't care about his ward, maybe once, as he didn't kill her, but now? His eyes were cold towards her like they were to everyone else.

"I hate that man sometimes," Morgana suddenly muttered, she stared own at her hands. A single tear fell onto her lap.

Merlin put his arm around her, thinking about what he had just seen. "You know, sometime, I hate him too."

* * *

_Not the best chapter, but I hope it was ok :) And we've reached 200 reviews people! :D That is amazing, so a big thanks to all those who have reviewed :)_


	24. Chapter 24

_Chapter begins with Morgana's POV, and then moves on to Merlin's. Hope you like the chapter! :)_

* * *

Chapter 24

The Key to Freedom

Dawn slowly broke, the sky was clear and the snow on the ground somehow gave the world an extra brightness as it slowly edged its way into a new day. Morgana watched the daylight grow as she stared up at her ceiling. She didn't know how long she had been lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Had she even slept? Possibly, but it was hard to tell. Everything had fallen into a timeless whirl, and she was drifting through it, alone with her thoughts. In her hands she held the dagger Merlin had given her. Her mind kept on returning to the young manservant.

Merlin. Was there a sweeter, more caring boy? Morgana didn't know many other boys, but she had a feeling that the answer was no, there wasn't. She remembered the first time they had met, she was so afraid and angry that there was an intruder in her room. But then he turned out to be a friend, and he had changed her dull, boring life into something worth living. Who knew the curiosity of one lonely manservant could change her world so much?

He had comforted her in her darkest hours, like the night before when he stayed with her after Uther's visit. He had shared his deepest secret, even though he had told no one else, and it had made her feel less alone. He had given her a gift to make her feel better, even though she had never asked for one.

There weren't many people in Morgana's life, but in that small circle there was no one like Merlin. He was the one person who didn't make her feel like a prisoner, with him she could be herself, she could be free.

Freedom. The word kept on floating around in Morgana's head, it wouldn't leave her be. She remembered the first time she had met Merlin, he had left the door unlocked and she had stepped out into the darkness of the corridor, and for a few seconds she had the opportunity to be free. She was just too afraid to take that extra step.

But what if freedom didn't have to be just in her head when she had company and a friend, what if she could actually step into that corridor and run through the darkness?

Morgana sat up suddenly as if a burst of energy had just rushed through her, her eyes were wide and disbelieving. Why hadn't she realised this before? Her opportunity for freedom, to escape from Uther who treated her like she was nothing, escape from this tower that was her home, was right there in front of her. Morgana had dreamed about freedom for so long, but had eventually accepted it would never happen.

But now Merlin was here, he could set her free.

Morgana was so used to living life as a prisoner, she hadn't been outside the tower for so long just thinking about it made her nervous. When Merlin had left the door unlocked and she had stepped out into the corridor, it felt so exhilarating yet frightening, and she couldn't go any further. If she wanted freedom, she couldn't do it alone.

But she didn't have to now, she had Merlin, someone who she could trust, someone on the outside who knew his way around, someone with magic who could find a way to break her out of this place without anyone realising something was wrong.

It was a shocking revelation, and yet it was so obvious. Morgana's breaths came in short, desperate gasps as she thought through this priceless opportunity, as if she was having a panic attack. Yet she wasn't frightened, she found herself smiling, and she felt happy, the happiest she had been in years.

Because she had Merlin, and Merlin was her key to freedom.

* * *

Merlin could tell something was different about Morgana when he came up to see her that night. She usually was pleased to see him, but this time she was jumping up and down like an excitable puppy. When he reached the top of the stairs she pulled him into a tight hug, something she had never done before.

"I hoped you would come tonight!" She almost squealed in his ear.

"Err...is everything all right?" Merlin asked when they broke apart. He looked at Morgana's grinning face, green eyes shining with excitement. Had she drunk something?

"No, no, everything's fine! In fact, nothing could be better."

This great transformation in Morgana was getting Merlin worried. When he had seen her last night she was trying to fight back tears, now she was almost bouncing off the walls, he had never seen her like this, and there was no explanation for it. This sudden and drastic change in emotion was not normal, but perhaps something had changed between the few hours they had been apart. Had Uther returned, finally deciding to let her out of the tower for once? He felt a surge of hope for her. "What is it?"

Despite her bubbling excitement, Morgana didn't seem quite so sure what to say. She took his hand and pretty much pulled him over to the bed so they could sit down. Merlin noticed when they had sat down she didn't let go of his hand. "I've been thinking...and I realised something..." Morgana began, but stopped, trying to think through her words. For a moment her excitement died and she looked fearful.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked quickly, still not sure what to think about the rush of different emotions. "You know you can tell me anything Morgana."

Morgana wasn't able to hold it in any longer, she took a deep breath and suddenly burst out, "You can break me out of the tower and set me free!"

The words came out so quickly Merlin couldn't catch them, and what he could make out from her words surprised him. "I'm sorry?"

She took a deep breath, but when she spoke her words came out in a rush again. "You can get me out of this castle Merlin! We could run away together! No one will suspect you as they don't know you come here, and you've got magic, you can steal a key or turn us invisible or make a flying carpet or-"

"Woah Morgana, calm down." Morgana's face fell. She was obviously disappointed that the first words out his mouth weren't 'Yes I'll do it.' "Let's think about this," said Merlin, because he certainly needed to think about it.

Morgana's face immediately fell. "What is there to think about?" She demanded. "I can't stay locked up in here forever Merlin!"

"Of course you can't..." Merlin hesitated, what Morgana said was right, she couldn't be locked up for the rest of her life, and surely he wanted to help her escape, so what was holding him back?

Then Merlin realised, she said they could run away together. The both of them. But if they did, he would be turning his back on Arthur, on Camelot, on his destiny. Just as the Dragon warned. However he knew Morgana couldn't run away alone, she had been locked up too long, she wouldn't know how to live independently, she wouldn't know where to go, who to trust, how to work.

But she couldn't stay here for the rest of her life.

"Morgana I-" Merlin began, it was his turn to try and think through his words.

But he never had time to finish his sentence, as suddenly Morgana leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Merlin had never kissed a girl before, he didn't know what it was going to be like, and Morgana had taken him completely by surprise. When the shock died down he noticed how her lips were soft, they tasted sweet like strawberries, and there was a sudden spark within him, a tingling that reached down to his very fingertips. He found himself kissing her back.

Suddenly Morgana pulled away, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but there was a grin on her face. "Sorry, I just got a bit...over-excited."

"No, no, it's fine," Merlin coughed, the startled look on his face made Morgana giggle. Whether it was over-excitement or a method of persuading him, it certainly helped Merlin come to his decision. "You're right Morgana, you don't deserve to stay here. I'll help get you out."

Morgana throw her arms around him, "Thank you!" She burst out.

"It's OK..." Merlin said, hugging her gently back, "but I think there are few people I need to talk to about this first."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The Unexpected Visitor

He had to tell Gaius. If there was one person he could trust, who would help him make the right decision, it would be Gaius. He would listen to what Merlin had to say, he is wise, he'd know what to do.

Merlin decided to wait until the next morning to talk to Gaius, it was unfair to wake the physician in the middle of the night and tell him all that had been happening and what he had discovered these past few months, even though he was so desperate to tell him as soon as he left the tower. He knew Gaius would be up early though, and dawn had barely broken when Merlin, who hadn't slept a wink, heard the old physician pottering about in his chamber.

Merlin entered the chamber cautiously. Gaius was sitting at his desk, pondering over a huge, old leather-bound book. At first Merlin thought the physician hadn't heard him come in, as he didn't look up, but then Gaius said, "Good morning Merlin, have you had any breakfast?"

"Erm...no," Merlin began slowly, sitting down in a chair on the opposite side of the desk. "I'm not hungry."

Gaius looked up at this, slight concern on his face, "You're not falling ill are you?" Merlin shook his head, "Well that's good," said Gaius, turning back to the book, "because you have lots of work to get done today. You need to go and collect some more heather for me, and deliver Mr Pott's medicine, and Arthur was looking for you last night, he wants you to-"

"Gaius," Merlin interrupted Gaius before he went on with a whole list of things he had a feeling he would never get done today, there was something far more important on his mind. "Can I talk to you about something?"

The physician looked up from his book again, he could definitely tell there was something wrong with Merlin now. Merlin wondered if it was the way he spoke so cautiously, or was the lack of sleep and worry about Morgana clear in his eyes?

"Of course you can," he said, "what's the matter?"

Merlin took a deep breath, where to begin? "Do you remember the King's ward, Morgana?"

"Yes."

"They say she died a long time ago."

Gaius looked at Merlin closely, wondering where this was going. "Yes..."

"Well...what if I told you she wasn't dead?"

At first Gaius just stared at Merlin, but then he shrugged his shoulders. "You would find it hard to find someone who would believe you."

Merlin didn't like the slight careless tone Gaius had in his voice, if Gaius started telling Merlin that someone whom he had assumed was dead was in fact still alive, Merlin was sure he wouldn't act like he didn't care. "But I'm not telling other people Gaius, I'm telling you. What would _you_ think?"

"I would think it was quite a sudden and random assumption to make Merlin, to suddenly wake up one morning and decide that the King's ward, who hasn't been seen in years, is still alive." Gaius said quite casually.

"And why does it not surprise you that I suddenly believe that?" Merlin questioned suddenly. Why are you acting like you already knew-" he froze. There was something in Gaius' eyes then, sadness, regret, a secret he hadn't told. "Hang on, you _do _know she's still alive!"

Gaius hesitated, which confirmed Merlin's suspicion. "Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded.

"I didn't think it would be any of your concern," Gaius admitted, he paused, and raised an eyebrow, "why is it your concern?"

Merlin opened his mouth to argue, and then realised Gaius was right. The King's ward didn't really have anything to do with him, he only knew about her because he was curious about a face at the window. How could you bring up in casual conversation that the King has locked up his own ward in a tower for ten years? And just knowing her presence wouldn't have made much of a difference, but now there was a way they could make a difference. Merlin decided the best way to go about this was to tell the truth.

"I was curious about what was in Camelot's tallest tower so one night I went to investigate and found that Morgana was being kept there. I've been visiting her several nights a week since...and now she wants me to help her escape from the tower, run away from Camelot...and I said I would." He paused, Gaius opened his mouth to say something, but now he had told him what he knew, Merlin felt he deserved to ask a few questions himself. "Why did you never help her?" He asked.

Gaius sighed, "There was nothing I could do to help, it would have been my voice against the King, and keeping her locked away, however cruel it may sound, was better than having a child killed because of what she was. I hardly ever saw her, but when she fell sick I sometimes visited her to help."

So not only had Gaius been aware of Morgana's presence in the tower, he had actually been to visit her there. Merlin was in shock, why had Gaius not told him about her when he had asked about her all those weeks ago? Why hadn't Morgana said Gaius would sometimes come and visit?

But that wasn't the point, such things could be debated when Morgana was out of the wretched tower.

"I think we do have an opportunity to help now though, so will you?" Merlin asked.

"Help with what?"

Merlin wondered if Gaius was in fact unsure about what they could do to help, or he was feigning stupidity to try and avoid the suggestion that they could set Morgana free. Merlin hoped it was the former, he wanted to have people on his side for this. "Help Morgana get out of the tower."

Gaius looked at Merlin closely as if he thought the statement was some sort of test. "Where would she go?"

"I don't know!" Merlin admitted, he didn't want to be tested. He wondered if it was worry about Morgana, lack of sleep or a combination of the two that was making his patience rapidly run low. "But she can't stay in the tower any more Gaius, you know that. I could take her somewhere safe, I'll let her taste freedom."

"You clearly haven't thought this through-" Gaius began, shaking his head as if listening to a child talking about an impossible dream.

"What is there to think through?" Merlin demanded, suddenly angry. "We can worry about what will happen to Morgana she's out of the tower. I don't want to see her trapped up in there anymore. Uther keeps her locked away like a prisoner, he doesn't care about her any more, whether she's in the tower or not. It doesn't matter what happens when she's free, but everyone deserves to be free. Have you thought through _that_?"

Gaius sighed, and suddenly he looked very tired, as if he had had this argument a hundred times before. Merlin suddenly wondered if perhaps he had, maybe Gaius had once tried to argue for Morgana's freedom, but Uther had always said no, until the physician had accepted that Morgana would have to remain locked up in that tower forever. And now the same argument was happening again.

And it seemed over the years Gaius had taken the side of the King, even though at first he wasn't going to admit it. "Uther does care about Morgana, even though I know sometimes that's hard to believe. The very fact that Morgana is still alive shows that he loved his ward, as if she was his own daughter perhaps, and he had no choice but to keep her locked away and convince the whole Kingdom that she was dead."

"So no one else knows?" Merlin asked slowly.

Gaius shook his head, "Only a maid who makes sure Morgana has everything she needs. Not even Arthur knows, and there's nothing we can-"

"But we can do something about it!" Merlin burst out desperately. So few people knew, so few people could help, but they _could_ make a difference...

"And how do you think the King would react to his ward disappearing, or two servants telling him that one of the biggest secrets he has should be set free?" Gaius argued, he too seemed to be running out of patience now.

"Who cares what the King thinks!" Merlin snapped. "I don't care whether he truly cares for Morgana or not, he shouldn't have locked her away. He could have found another way, he could have sent her somewhere where magic was accepted and she could be safe. He can't keep her locked up for the rest of her life."

Still, Gaius didn't seem sure. "It's the best for Morgana if-"

But Merlin suddenly decided he didn't want to listen to what else Gaius said. He would not listen to the man who had taken the side of a tyrant. Did he not see the desperation, the loneliness, in Morgana's eyes when he went to visit her? The sadness when she realised that she would be locked away and alone for yet another night of her life. He wasn't going to help Morgana escape, and although the more Merlin thought about it, the more insane the idea seemed, he wasn't going to let Morgana remain a prisoner any longer. Gaius would not be swayed by his argument however, he would not help.

Merlin suddenly found himself on his feet, his eyes as cold as stone. "Fine. Don't help me, but I know what's best for Morgana, and I don't care what you say, I'm going to make sure Morgana has a life worth living."

He walked out the chamber and didn't look back. He wondered if Gaius would have perhaps called him back, tried to persuade him to change his mind, or seen reason and changed his own mind. But only silence followed him out the room. Once Merlin left the chamber he made a decision. He still wanted people on his side, and he wanted to talk to someone who would perhaps listen to him, who knew what was right and wrong.

He would tell Arthur.

* * *

_So, not the most eventful chapter, but the secret about Gaius knowing about Morgana is out! How do you think Arthur will react to the truth?_

_Can't believe we're almost reaching the end of the fic now people! :( But the story is far from over..._

_Please review :)_


	26. Chapter 26

_Sorry about the delayed update, the past week has been...hectic, to put it in one word! And I've been so busy I can't even remember if I replied to the reviews for the last chapter! So if you did review but didn't get a reply, I apologise, but thank you for reviewing! :)_

_And the new series of Merlin has now started! :D For those of you who have seen it, what did you think of the first episode? I really enjoyed it!_

_Anyway, on with the chapter!..._

* * *

Chapter 26

The Unpleasant Truth

Merlin stood nervously at the door of Arthur's chamber. It was reaching midday, and the Prince was pouring over official-looking parchments at his desk, his back to Merlin. He hadn't even noticed his manservant was standing there yet. Merlin wasn't sure how long he had been standing in the doorway, trying to think of what to do, what to say, eventually he cleared his throat to alert Arthur to his presence.

Arthur turned round in his chair, he looked surprised at not being alone, but when he saw who was standing there he rolled his eyes, as if he was telling himself he should have known who it was disturbing his peace and not bothered to knock. Perhaps this wasn't a good time to disturb him, but he had to get it over and done with. "Yes Merlin?" Arthur said.

"I need to talk to you..." Merlin said slowly.

Arthur glanced back down at the parchments spread across his desk, "This isn't a good time Merlin, I need to get these read through signed by the end of today. Can it wait?"

_I've been waiting too long for this anyway, _Merlin thought to himself as he shook his head. "No, sorry, but this is important."

For once, Arthur seemed to notice the seriousness in his voice, and turned back to Merlin, concern in his eyes for his friend. "All right then, what seems to be the problem?"

Merlin took a deep breath, and then cursed underneath his breath, how on earth could he explain all of this? He was taking too long to think of something to say, he could see Arthur growing impatient, tapping his toe absent mindedly on the stone floor. "So...how is your day going?"

"Not that well actually, my manservant interrupted me during some very important work just to ask me how my day was going!"

"Sorry! I just..." Merlin took a deep breath, no beating around the bush then. "Do you remember once we had a conversation about Morgana?"

Arthur looked surprised by this question. "Yes...yes we did. It must have been a few months ago now though. What about it?"

"You said she's dead?"

"Yes." Arthur's voice was a little more stern this time, defensive, he did not like talking about past loved ones and he couldn't see where the conversation was heading. "Why?"

Merlin sat down on the corner of Arthur's bed, he found he couldn't keep eye contact with the Prince. He looked down at the floor. "What would you say if someone told you Morgana wasn't dead, in fact she was alive, but imprisoned, in this very castle?"

There was a pause. "I would say it was some sort of sick joke," Arthur said, "and that the person was lying to me. They had to be. After all, why else would Morgana still be alive and imprisoned in the castle? I think I would know if she was still living in the castle. She was just a child when she died, that is nothing to make jokes about by trying to convince me she's still alive."

This was not going well, but Merlin hadn't expected Arthur to believe him so quickly or so easily, this was natural reaction - confusion, annoyance, hurt. He kept trying. "But the things you've witnessed in your life Arthur, you must realise that not everything is at it seems, there are secrets hidden within this castle, sometimes the impossible can happen."

"So you're telling me my childhood friend has back from the dead, and no one had the courtesy to tell me?" Said Arthur, he didn't sound impressed.

"Well...not exactly..." Merlin began.

"Or that my father just decided to keep his ward locked away somewhere in the castle since she was a child and not tell anyone, not even his own son?"

"Actually, yes, I am..." Merlin began.

Arthur looked like he was trying to work out if Merlin was being serious or joking with him. Either way, he wasn't very impressed. "And you really expect me to believe that my own father would keep such a secret away from me? That he would do that to Morgana?"

Merlin flinched at the sound of Arthur's raised voice, tinged with rage. He knew this was going to be hard for Arthur to understand, but he had to. "I know this sounds stupid but..."

"Yes Merlin, it sounds very stupid, what are you trying to prove with this lie? Do you want me to turn against my father?"

"No!" Merlin said quickly, he thought desperately of a way he could convince Arthur. "Do you remember, when the wyverns attacked the castle, and you were injured, you said you heard a scream from the Tallest Tower?"

There was a pause, Arthur's eyes narrowed, but he did remember. "I asked you about it, you said it was nothing."

Merlin cursed under his breath, of course he had, that was not going to help things. "I didn't want you to worry, that's all, you were badly injured at the time. But really you did hear a scream. And it was Morgana..." Arthur was shaking his head impatiently, making Merlin feel desperate. "But you just said you remembered! And have you never considered what might be in the tallest tower, why no one goes in there?"

Still, Arthur wasn't convinced. "I had hit my head Merlin, I may remember but it's not very clear, there must have been lots of people screaming, Camelot was under attack. And have you ever considered that no one would be able to be hidden in the castle for so many years without anyone noticing?"

"Someone has noticed, me! I would never lie to you!"

"Really? Because at the time you said the scream was nothing, now you're saying it's something, so one of them must be a lie." Arthur paused for a moment, thinking of what to say, his voice softened a little, as if he wanted to understand, but just couldn't. "And I'm sorry Merlin, but I trust my father's word over you, and he has told me nothing about the tower. I remember when he came to my chamber and told me what happened to Morgana..." Arthur paused for a moment, even after so many years, the memory of him being told his childhood friend had died still hurt. "He wouldn't make something like that up when really she was still alive."

This was harder than Merlin thought, Arthur was refusing to see reason, to think twice, surely he realised not everything added up? A sudden tragic death with no real explanation, no body, hardly a mention of her again, a haunted tower nobody entered, a face at a window, the scream..."I know she's here Arthur, I've seen her, I've spoken to her!"

But his words did nothing, in fact they made things worse. "I think you've taken this too far now Merlin," Arthur growled dangerously.

"But it's true-"

"_No_! I don't want to hear anything more! Don't you dare tell me my father was a liar, don't you dare tell me my own father hid my best friend away from me for years, and don't you dare speak out against your King, when you are nothing but a servant!" Suddenly Arthur was on his feet, his eyes burning with rage, Merlin actually felt a little afraid. But what he mainly felt was horrible, bitter disappointment, that his friend wouldn't listen, his friend wouldn't help. And a slight pain in his heart, that after all they had been through, Arthur still didn't fully trust him, he still saw him as a servant.

Arthur suddenly seemed to realised he was standing, and that he had lost his temper. The fire in his eyes died down and he looked surprised at his own outburst. He turned his back on Merlin. "I think it's time for you to leave," he muttered at the wall.

Merlin pulled himself to his feet, aware now that he will receive no help at all, not from anyone. He didn't know who else he trusted enough to turn to. It was just him and Morgana.

Perhaps it was always meant to be like this.

"You know what?" Merlin spoke into the silence, a tinge of sadness in his voice. "I think you're right."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The Dawn

_"And maybe tonight,_

_We'll fly so far away,_

_We'll be lost before the dawn."_

_Evanescence - Before the Dawn._

There was a cold breeze in the air, Merlin couldn't help but shiver. He looked up at the sky, once black, but steadily the purples and pinks of a new day were beginning to emerge. Dawn was approaching, they didn't have much time.

Somehow, the person who should be the most worried and panicked, was standing right next to Merlin, perfectly calm.

"Are you ready?" Morgana asked. She held out her hand.

Merlin wasn't sure, but they couldn't wait around for much longer. He felt he had done all the things he needed to do in preparation to leaving. The evening after he had tried to persuade Arthur that Morgana was still alive, he went to say goodbye.

Arthur couldn't quite understand why Merlin was saying goodbye, that there was anything truly wrong. The Young Warlock remembered the last time he had gone to say goodbye to Arthur, sure that he was never to return. It was when he was going to see Nimeuh and offer her his own life in exchange for his mother's. Arthur hadn't quite grasped what was happening then, he didn't seem to care. It was the same again, he just thought Merlin was being over-dramatic about something.

But perhaps it was for the best, not saying a proper goodbye. Not letting the pain of leaving a friend linger in the air too long, it would give Merlin time to have doubt.

He couldn't even face Gaius though, in the end he left his uncle a note, and hoped perhaps one day he would be able to understand.

After that night had fallen, and Merlin headed straight to the tower. Morgana had packed up her belongings as they had agreed, but there was very little to take; only her knife, a few clothes and the still living flowers Merlin had picked for her what felt like so long ago. Merlin brought the food and water. Nervous anticipation filled the room as Merlin opened Morgana's window and looked out into the black night.

"Are you ready?" He had asked her.

She had nodded.

It had taken Merlin a while to work out what would be the best way to get Morgana out the tower. In the end he decided to use a ladder.

He knew he'd never forget the look on Morgana's face when he pulled out a small length of rope from his pocket, whispered the right words, and watch it begin to grow, stretching across the floor of her chamber, moving like a snake as it formed the shape of a ladder, long enough to get them down safely to the ground. There was a mixture of amazement and wonder in Morgana's eyes, as well as perhaps a little fear. She still wasn't used to seeing magic used so casually.

"I know it probably isn't the easiest way to get down, but I've tested it out and the rope's strong enough, we should be safe. I don't know how to make us become invisible, but under the cover of night we should be safe, and I've been practicing moving the shadows if we need extra darkness." Merlin explained as he slowly lowered the ladder out the window. He turned back to Morgana. "Are you all right?" He asked.

The King's ward shrugged, "I have no idea!" She admitted, she couldn't quite believe this was all happening. "Let's just get this done before I think twice." She added.

Merlin nodded, knowing how she was feeling, and helped Morgana lower herself onto the ladder first.

It was a long climb down, every sound that was made in the night Merlin feared it would be a Camelot guard or Knight, patrolling the castle corridors or ground below, looking up just to catch sight of two people descending from a window. The cold air was not helping the situation, Merlin could feel his hands growing numb, and it seemed to make time stretch on as they carefully took another step down the ladder, then another.

Morgana paused just before she reached the ground, staring at the grass as if she had never seen it before. Merlin could only guess what must have be going through her head. This was a moment she was dreaming of and dreading at the same time, something she thought would never happen, yet something she hoped every day would.

This was it.

Morgana took her first step onto the cold, damp grass for the first time in ten years.

And now they both stood on the ground, dawn approaching over the horizon, and Merlin was the one who was having doubts. After all, Camelot was his home, despite everything, he loved living and working there, and he would sorely miss the people he was leaving behind.

But sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the best, sometimes you had to follow your heart.

He couldn't believe he was leaving everything behind and running away. Could he really do it?

He looked into Morgana's eyes, then down at her outstretched hand, and took it in his.

The End

_...Or is it?_

_That's right people! We've reached the end of the fic! Sad times :(_

_But the story may not quite over, as I am considering doing a sequel! _

_It will be called 'The Bravest Bond' (probably, but I'm not too keen on that title) and will follow Merlin and Morgana now they have left Camelot, and what happens in the Camelot they left behind, including a certain blond witch making an appearance..._

_Sound like something you'd like to read? Then let me know! I'd really like to do a sequel, but I want to know what you, the reader, think of the idea and if you'd like to read more of this story :)_

_I will probably get the sequel up in about a week, if I do write it, watch this space (not literally, a week is a long time!) as I will put another chapter at the end of this story telling you that it's up and a bit more about the story line._

_It feels weird thinking this fic has come to an end, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to all those who favourited and alerted, and a huge thank you to those who reviewed, I was not expecting so much response for this little story, it means a lot to me :) I hope I didn't let you down as the story went on! _

_I apologise for any grammar/spelling mistakes we have may have encountered on the way, I do read through my stuff but you can still easily miss these things!_

_Anyway, I hoped you liked this last chapter, and let me know what you think of a sequel :) while you're waiting for it I also have other fanfictions, Merlin and non-Merlin, which you are welcome to check out if you like :)_

_Well, I think that's all I need to say for now, thanks very much for reading, and I hope to see you all again in the fanfiction world soon!_

_Best wishes, Naisa x_


	28. Chapter 28

The Bravest Bond

_Wow, once again I have been blown away by the response of the last chapter! Thank you so much guys! To be honest I didn't really think anyone would be interested in a sequel, and in fact I avoided mentioning it in case people were like "ugh, why do you have to go ahead and do a sequel? I just wanted to read the one story!"...but it seems I was wrong! And I was hoping to do a sequel, so what else can I do but get writing again? ;)_

_And as a thanks to all those who responded and you readers who managed to stick with this story to the very end, I am going to give you a little something in return :) I had a few small 'extra' ideas to have in the sequel, but I was unsure whether to put them in, so I thought I'd let you decide! There's a poll on my profile page so you can look at the options of what could be seen in the sequel, and decide which ones you'd like! You don't have to vote for any if none appeal to you, and I can't guarantee how much the particular aspect will be in the story, i.e if you only see it in one or two chapters or a lot more, but check out my profile if you're interested in having a look at the options! :)_

_In the meantime, here is a little more of a synopsis about The Bravest Bond..._

Things are not going well in the great Kingdom Camelot. The King is in mourning despite no one being dead, and won't confide in his confused and frustrated son, who can't work out why his manservant has mysteriously vanished. Things are made all the worse however when a mysterious woman arrives in Camelot, dark eyes filled with determination, claiming she's looking for someone who Arthur thought had been dead for ten years...

In the meantime, Morgana is thrilled by this new taste of freedom, and what makes it all the better is that Merlin is at her side, and she doesn't have the King to hold her back any more, could things get any better? Merlin too is happy that they had taken the chance to run away, but it's not long until doubt starts creeping into his mind. What if he's made a mistake, what if Camelot's in trouble, and where can a young couple who share a wonderful but terrible gift hide in a world like this?

Things are not going to be easy, with the whole wide world ahead of them and new, dangerous faces appearing, can Merlin and Morgana's precious bond cope with what the future is preparing to throw at them?

_Well, that's it, I hope it sounds like something worth reading! If it is, the FIRST CHAPTER IS OFFICIALLY UP so you can go and have a read and let me know what you think! :D_

_Thanks again!_

_Naisa._


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